[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 to ap@jadaliyya.com.]
Regional and International Relations
Bahrain: Crown prince calls Israel PM on Iran nuclear talks – Bahrain’s crown prince, Salman bin Hamad Al Khalifa, spoke with the Israeli prime minister on 25 Feb about the return to nuclear talks with Iran, as the US administration tries to revive the tattered 2015 nuclear accord.
Israel, Bahrain leaders discuss Netanyahu visit, vaccine plant – Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Bahrain’s Crown Prince Sheikh Salman bin Hamad Al Khalifa on 25 Feb discussed the Gulf state’s possible involvement in establishing a vaccine manufacturing plant in Israel. The leaders also discussed a possible visit by Netanyahu to Bahrain once coronavirus restrictions would allow it.
UAE and Qatar hold first meeting since Gulf detente – Delegations from the United Arab Emirates and Qatar met in Kuwait on 22 Feb for the first time since the end of the Gulf crisis last month.
Egypt and Qatar hold first meeting since accord ending Gulf row – Delegations from Qatar and Egypt met in Kuwait on 23 Feb for the first time since an agreement last month to end a rift, in a further push to bury a Gulf Arab diplomatic feud.
Australia's top gas producers undaunted by Qatar's LNG expansion – Australia’s top two independent gas producers are confident their major new projects will be able to go ahead, even in the face of a massive expansion approved by the world’s biggest liquefied natural gas exporter, Qatar.
Qatar says to fund $60 million pipeline from Israel to Gaza – Qatar pledged $60 million to build a natural gas pipeline from Israel into the Gaza Strip that will end the energy crisis that has helped cripple the Gaza economy.
Biden seeks to sideline Saudi Arabia's Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman – The Biden administration has said it expects Saudi Arabia to “change its approach” to the US and signalled that it wants to minimise any direct contact between the president and the country’s de facto ruler, Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman. Instead, Joe Biden considers King Salmon to be his counterpart, marking an abrupt change compared with the Trump administration. It comes as intelligence officials are preparing to release a declassified report to Congress that will describe its assessment of the crown prince’s alleged culpability in the murder of Jamal Khashoggi.
Vehicle-carrier ship hit by explosion in Gulf of Oman – A Bahamas-flagged ship, the MV HELIOS RAY, was hit by an explosion in the Gulf of Oman on 25 Feb. The cause of the explosion is not clear.
Bahrain first to approve Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 vaccine for emergency use – Bahrain has approved Johnson & Johnson’s one-dose COVID-19 vaccine for emergency use, the first country to do so, the National Health Regulatory Authority said on 25 Feb.
U.S. defense secretary calls Saudi crown prince, reaffirms strategic ties – US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin spoke to Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman on 19 Feb, days after the White House said it would deal directly with the king, not his heir, and US officials would engage their counterparties in the kingdom.
Saudi Arabia will continue to treat Houthis as terrorists, says Saudi U.N. representative – Saudi Arabia will continue to treat Yemen’s Houthis as a terrorist organisation despite a US decision to lift the designation on the group, according to the kingdom’s permanent representative to the United Nations. As such, Saudi Arabia will still deal with the Houthi militia as a terrorist organisation and address its threats with military action.
Pensacola Navy base mass shooter had accomplices, help from Saudi Arabia, victims claim in terror lawsuit – Families of US service members that were affected by the mass shooting at Naval Air Station Pensacola in 2019, have alleged that the government of Saudi Arabia facilitated the attack, which US authorities concluded was an act of international terrorism. A 152-page complaint in federal court makes new allegations that the shooter, Royal Saudi Air Force 2nd Lt. Ahmed Mohammed al-Shamrani, executed the attack with the support of “accomplices.” They included fellow Saudi air force trainees. Shamrani, worked with al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula for five years to plan the attack.
Saudi Arabia sued by families of victims of 2019 Florida base attack – Families of three US service members who were killed and 13 others who were wounded in a shooting by a Saudi gunman at Pensacola Naval Air Station in Florida in 2019 have sued Saudi Arabia for damages. The complaint, which was filed on 22 Feb in a federal court in the city of Pensacola, alleged that Saudi Arabia had known about the gunman being radicalized and that it could have prevented the killings.
Biden call with Saudi King Salman, Khashoggi report expected soon – The White House said on 24 Feb that a phone call between US President Joe Biden and Saudi Arabia’s King Salman is being scheduled and will take place soon. Spokeswoman Jen Psaki also said a declassified US report on the death of journalist Jamal Khashoggi, is being readied for release and will come out soon.
Russia, Saudi Arabia at odds over output deal ahead of OPEC+ meeting – Saudi Arabia and Russia have differences over a potential deal among OPEC+ oil producers that could ease curbs on supply starting in April, ahead of a meeting of the group next week. The Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries and its allies, a group known as OPEC+, are likely to ease curbs on supply after April given a recovery in prices.
Recent drone attack on Saudi royal palace launched from Iraq – Explosive-laden drones that targeted Saudi Arabia’s royal palace in the kingdom’s capital last month were launched from inside Iraq. A senior Iran-backed militia official said three drones were launched from Iraqi-Saudi border areas by a relatively unknown Iran-backed faction in Iraq and crashed into the royal complex in Riyadh on 23 Jan, exacerbating regional tensions.
Ties with Saudis at stake as US releases findings on killing – The United States has pledged to tell the world its conclusions on what role Saudi Arabia’s crown prince played in the brutal killing and dismembering of a US-based journalist. Ahead of the release of the declassified US intelligence report, and announcement of any US punitive measures, President Joe Biden spoke to Saudi King Salman on 25 Feb for the first time since taking office more than a month ago.
UAE supports Saudi position on U.S. Khashoggi report – The United Arab Emirates supports Saudi Arabia’s position on the US intelligence report about the killing of Jamal Khashoggi. In a statement, UAE’s foreign ministry “expressed its confidence in and support for the Saudi judiciary rulings, which affirm the kingdom’s commitment to implementing the law in a transparent and impartial manner, and holding all those involved in this case accountable.”
Biden says Saudi announcement to come Monday; White House plays down new steps – President Joe Biden said his administration would make an announcement on Saudi Arabia on 1 Mar, following a US intelligence report that found Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman had approved the killing of journalist Jamal Khashoggi. A White House official suggested no new significant steps were expected.
Biden says he told Saudi king he will hold them accountable for rights abuses – US President Joe Biden said he told Saudi King Salman he would “hold them accountable for human rights abuses” and the US would be announcing significant changes in the bilateral relationship on 26 Feb and 1 Mar.
UAE dismantles Eritrea base as it pulls back after Yemen war – The United Arab Emirates is dismantling parts of a military base it runs in the East African nation of Eritrea after it pulled back from the war in nearby Yemen, satellite photos show. The UAE built a port and expanded an airstrip in Assab beginning in September 2015, using the facility as a base to ferry heavy weaponry and Sudanese troops into Yemen as it fought alongside a Saudi-led coalition against Iranian-backed Houthi rebels there.
UN experts: Trump ally, UAE firms violated Libya sanctions – American security contractor Erik Prince, a close ally of Donald Trump, violated the UN arms embargo against Libya along with three United Arab Emirates-based companies and their top managers during an operation to help a rebel military commander take the capital Tripoli, UN experts said. The panel of experts outlined “a well-funded private military company operation” called “Project Opus” designed to provide military equipment to eastern-based commander Khalifa Hifter – who is backed by Egypt and UAE. The plan also included a component to kidnap or terminate individuals regarded as high value targets in Libya.
Gaza receives COVID vaccines from UAE, helped by Abbas rival – Gaza received 20,000 doses of Russia’s Sputnik V vaccine from the United Arab Emirates on 21 Feb, a move secured by Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas’s rival, Mohammad Dahlan, who is based in the Gulf state.
Israeli-owned ship in Dubai for assessment after explosion – An Israeli-owned ship hit by an explosion in the Gulf of Oman strategic waterway has arrived at a port in Dubai, where is it is due to be assessed in dry dock.
U.N. aid chief urges Gulf states to step up to avert Yemen famine – United Nations’ aid chief Mark Lowcock urged Gulf states to step up on 1 Marc when the world body seeks to avert a large-scale “man-made” famine in Yemen by raising $3.85 billion for humanitarian operations in the war-torn country for 2021.
Human Rights
Revealed: 6,500 migrant workers have died in Qatar as it gears up for World Cup – More than 6,500 migrant workers from India, Pakistan, Nepal, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka have died in Qatar since it won the right to host the World Cup 10 years ago. The findings by the Guardian, compiled from government sources, mean an average of 12 migrant workers from these five south Asian nations have died each week since December 2010. The total death toll is significantly higher, as the figures do not include deaths from a number of countries which send large numbers of workers to Qatar, including the Philippines and Kenya. Deaths that occurred in the final months of 2020 are also not included.
U.S. report on Khashoggi death expected to single out Saudi crown prince – A declassified version of a US intelligence report expected to be released on 25 Feb, finds that Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman approved the 2018 killing of journalist Jamal Khashoggi, four US officials confirmed.
'Top Secret' Saudi documents show Khashoggi assassins used company seized by Saudi crown prince – The two private jets used by a Saudi Arabian assassination squad that killed and allegedly dismembered journalist Jamal Khashoggi were owned by a company that less than a year prior had been seized by the Mohammed bin Salman, according to recently filed court documents. The documents, filed as part of a Canadian civil lawsuit earlier this year, are labeled "Top Secret" and signed by a Saudi minister who relayed the orders of the crown prince.
Saudi travel bans stir unease as detainees released – Saudi activist Loujain al-Hathloul, and other released detainees, although provisionally released, endures imprisonment in another form –- a travel ban. Those released, along with family members who are not charged with any offence, are barred from exiting the country, in a collective punishment that leaves them vulnerable to what campaigners call state coercion.
U.N. human rights boss urges Saudi Arabia to allow free speech – United Nations human rights chief Michelle Bachelet, in rare public comments on Saudi Arabia, among the 47 members, said on 26 Feb that people were unlawfully held in the kingdom and urged it to uphold freedom of expression and the right to peaceful assembly.
Saudi Crown Prince Is Held Responsible for Khashoggi Killing in U.S. Report – Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman approved the assassination of Jamal Khashoggi in 2018, according to an intelligence report that the Biden administration released on 26 Feb. An elite team of operatives, that reported directly to the Prince, helped carry out the killing, the report said. He cultivated a climate of fear that made it unlikely for aides to act without his consent. But the Biden administration took no direct action against Prince Mohammed, instead announcing travel and financial sanctions on other Saudis involved in the killing and on members of the elite unit of the Royal Guard who protect the crown prince. The administration concluded it could not risk a full rupture of its relationship with the kingdom, relied on by the US to help contain Iran, to counter terrorist groups and to broker peaceful relations with Israel. Cutting off Saudi Arabia could also push its leaders toward China.
After dissident vanishes in Canada, Saudi exiles fear they are now in jeopardy – The disappearance last month of a 24-year-old, Ahmed Abdullah al-Harbi, a Saudi dissident living in Montreal after visiting the kingdom’s embassy in Ottawa has sent fear rippling across Canada’s community of Saudi exiles. While the gravest concerns were allayed when al-Harbi reappeared last week in Saudi Arabia, his fellow activists suspect he was coerced to return to the kingdom and are afraid he is providing Saudi authorities with information that jeopardizes the activist network and their families.
Four years at sea, now just metres from shore: 'living hell' of stranded UAE ship – For the crew inside the Panama-flagged oil tanker, MT Iba, grounded on the beach of Umm Al Quwain, in the United Arab Emirates, marks another harrowing chapter in an almost four-year ordeal at sea. It is one of the worst cases of seafarer abandonment to come to light. Abandoned by the vessel’s owner, their wages unpaid for 32 months, the five-person crew of the $4m (£2.8 million) Iba are in limbo. If they leave the ship they will lose their claim to the hundreds of dollars owed to them.
Crew of oil tanker beached off UAE to go home after four years stranded at sea – The crew of an oil tanker who have not set foot on dry land for nearly four years after being abandoned on board their ship, which later ran aground off the United Arab Emirates, are finally going home to see their families. The seafarers have been given a settlement for wages owed to them. They hope to be repatriated in March. They agreed to accept $165,000 (£119,000) in unpaid wages, around 65% to 70% of the wages they were owed.
Princess Latifa: secret videos raise fears for ruler's daughter forcibly returned to Dubai – The daughter of the ruler of Dubai, has used a smuggled phone to send a series of secret video messages taken over the past two years claiming she was being held “hostage” in a locked villa surrounded by police. The messages have since ceased, and campaigners for Princess Latifa al-Maktoum are calling for international intervention in her case.
Britain says UAE should show that Dubai's Sheikha Latifa is alive – Britain called on the United Arab Emirates to show proof that Sheikha Latifa, one of the daughters of the ruler of Dubai, was still alive after she said in a video message that she was being held captive in a barricaded villa.
UAE: Supporters of Princess Latifa call on Joe Biden to push for her release – Supporters of Princess Latifa have called on President Joe Biden to pressure the United Arab Emirates for her release, after she said she was being held hostage in a leaked video.
UN asks UAE for proof that princess is still alive following 'disturbing' video footage – The UN Human Rights Office said on 19 Feb it has asked the United Arab Emirates for proof that Dubai's Sheikha Latifa is still alive following "disturbing" video footage aired this week.
UAE says Dubai princess being cared for at home as UN expresses concern – The United Arab Emirates said on 19 Feb that Sheikha Latifa, was being cared for at home as the UN human rights watchdog asked the UAE for proof that she is alive amid growing international concern about her fate.
Princess Latifa urges UK police to reopen sister's kidnap case – Princess Latifa, the captive daughter of Dubai's ruler, has appealed to UK police to re-investigate the kidnap of her older sister from a Cambridge street more than 20 years ago. In a letter, Latifa tells Cambridgeshire police this could help free Princess Shamsa, who was captured on the orders of their father. A High Court judge ruled in 2019, that Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid al Maktoum had abducted both daughters and held them against their will.
'Digital School' starts pilot stage in Emirati-Jordanian Refugee Camp – A digital school that provides digital learning for refugees in the Emirati-Jordanian Mrajeeb Al Fhood Camp announced the launch of its pilot stage in preparation for seeing the first batch of pupils join the school's portal in September 2021.
'He treated me as a slave': Women face rising violence amid war in Yemen – Civil war has exacerbated already high levels of violence against women, and led to drastic cuts in funding for support services for women already at high risk of violence, while displacing others who are now vulnerable to armed groups.
Finance
Kuwait plans to shorten oil supply deals for some Asian buyers – Oil producer Kuwait Petroleum Corp is in talks to shorten its annual supply deals with some customers in India and Japan to nine months this year to meet demand from its new refinery.
Kuwait looks at palliative liquidity measures in reforms stalemate – Kuwait is trying to cover its fiscal shortfall through asset swaps and tapping its sovereign wealth fund as a standoff between government and parliament pushes the cabinet to look for palliative measures while structural reforms remain deadlocked.
Kuwait expects parliament to cooperate on solutions to budget financing – Kuwait said on 23 Feb it was confident parliament would cooperate to find solutions and implement financial reforms to cover its deficit. The finance ministry expects a budget deficit of 55.4 billion Kuwaiti dinars ($183.29 billion) from fiscal year 2020/21 to fiscal year 2024/25, but the country’s finances remained “strong” due to the Future Generations Fund, Kuwait’s largest state fund.
Saudi Arabia to stop contracting with firms without local HQ – Saudi Arabia plans to stop signing contracts with foreign companies that don’t have their Mideast headquarters in the kingdom, a bold move that could escalate business competition in the region with the UAE. The decision, to take effect on 1 Jan 2024, aims to solicit foreign investment, increase efficiency of state spending and boost local employment. The rule applies to foreign companies that deal with government agencies, institutions and funds.
Saudi Arabia Set to Raise Oil Output Amid Recovery in Prices – Saudi Arabia plans to increase its oil output in the coming months, reversing a recent unilateral production cut of 1 million barrels a day, a sign of growing confidence over an oil-price recovery. Advisers cautioned the plans still could be reversed if circumstances change, and the Saudis’ intention hasn’t yet been communicated to the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries.
Saudi Cabinet approves establishing bank of SMEs – Saudi Arabia’s Cabinet approved establishing the bank of small and medium enterprises, which will bring together all financing solutions under one umbrella to enable the small and medium enterprises sector to access appropriate financing and achieve stability and growth.
Saudi Arabia's BinDawood says subsidiary faces $33 million coffee maker claim – Saudi Arabian supermarket retailer BinDawood Holding, which made its public debut in October, said Arabic coffee-maker company Arab Dalla is seeking compensation of more than $33 million for patent infringement from a BinDawood subsidiary, Danube Co.
Saudi defence firm SAMI targets $5 billion annual revenue by 2030 – State-owned Saudi Arabian Military Industries (SAMI) aims to generate annual revenue of $5 billion by 2030, part of a drive to build more defence equipment inside the kingdom.
Saudi Arabia to invest more than $20 billion in its military industry over next decade – Saudi Arabia will invest more than $20 billion in its domestic military industry over the next decade as part of aggressive plans to boost local military spending. The country wants to develop and manufacture more weapons and military systems domestically, aiming to spend 50% of the military budget locally by 2030.
Saudi Arabia's PIF launches $3 billion tourism, infrastructure venture – Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund launched a new venture that will invest $3 billion in developing tourism and infrastructure in the southwestern Asir region. The kingdom hopes to diversify its economy through tourism and wants the sector to contribute 10% of gross domestic product by 2030.
Saudi imports from Turkey tumble in December after informal boycott – The value of Saudi Arabia’s imports from Turkey in December dropped to their lowest level in at least a year, on the back of an informal boycott by Saudi businessmen and retailers of Turkish products. Political tensions spilled over into trade between the two regional powers last year after the kingdom’s biggest supermarket chains said they backed a boycott of Turkish imports that had been proposed by business leaders and Saudi social media influencers.
Saudi's SAMI signs defence venture deal with U.S. Lockheed Martin – Saudi Arabian Military Industries (SAMI) has signed an agreement to set up a joint venture with US firm Lockheed Martin to enhance the kingdom’s defence and manufacturing capabilities. SAMI, which is owned by the Saudi state’s Public Investment Fund, will own 51% of the venture. “The new agreement will develop localised capabilities by transferring technology and knowledge, and by training a Saudi workforce in manufacturing products for, and providing services to, the Saudi armed forces,” the statement said. Saudi is one of the world’s largest buyers of foreign arms.
Saudi sovereign fund to double assets in next five years to $1.07 trillion – Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund plans to double its assets to 4 trillion riyals ($1.07 trillion) by 2025, Prince Mohammed bin Salman said, a move that would make it one of the world’s biggest sovereign wealth funds. The fund would invest 3 trillion riyals in new sectors over the next 10 years.
How rich is Saudi Arabia? Kingdom does the math in balance sheet overhaul – Saudi Arabia wants to demystify its finances. The kingdom is working on creating a consolidated balance sheet of its assets and liabilities which will include items currently kept off the oil-rich economy’s books, including the investments and debts of its powerful sovereign wealth fund.
Saudi Arabia completes second foray in euro market with 1.5 billion bond deal – Saudi Arabia raised 1.5 billion euros on 24 Feb in a two-tranche bond deal after receiving orders for more than 3.75 billion euros. A source close to the deal said Saudi Arabia was targeting a 2 billion euro debt sale but ultimately chose better pricing over size.
UK urged to end arms sales to Saudi Arabia following Khashoggi report – Britain faced fresh calls to end unrestricted arms sales to Saudi Arabia after the US published a CIA assessment which concluded that Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman had ordered the murder of journalist Jamal Khashoggi. Charities, civil rights groups and others said the disclosure threw the UK’s traditionally close relationship with Riyadh into stark relief in the aftermath of the release of the unambiguous report.
Biden team considering a halt to 'offensive' arms sales for Saudis – President Joe Biden’s administration is considering the cancellation of arms deals with Saudi Arabia that pose human rights concerns while limiting future military sales to “defensive” weapons, as it reassesses it relationship with the kingdom.
Saudi Arabia Borrows at Negative Rates for First Time as Oil Recovers – The recovery in oil prices has boosted investor appetite for Saudi Arabian government debt abroad, allowing the kingdom to borrow at negative interest rates for the first time. The kingdom raised €1.5 billion, equivalent to $1.8 billion, through a bond sale on 24 Feb. The yields were minus 0.057% for three-year debt and 0.646% for nine-year, the cheapest borrowing costs it has achieved to date. It was the second time it has issued bonds in euros.
Saudi Arabia bonds, stocks take U.S. sanctions mostly in stride – Saudi Arabia’s 2060 Eurobond rose on 26 Feb after Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman was spared US sanctions over the killing of Jamal Khashoggi, though short-term debt and a basket of Saudi stocks ended lower. The April 2060 sovereign issue was up more than 1 cent, while the 2025 and 2030 were both down 0.5 cent after the Biden administration announced sanctions and visa bans targeting Saudi citizens, but stopped short of MbS.
Dubai airport sees passenger traffic drop 70% amid pandemic – Dubai International Airport saw the pandemic push passenger traffic down by an unprecedented 70% in 2020 compared to the previous year, even as the airport held onto its prized title as the world’s busiest for international travel.
UAE weapons show draws major deals, traders amid pandemic – In spite of the surging coronavirus pandemic, major arms makers descended on a convention center in Abu Dhabi on 21 Feb, hoping to make deals with militaries across the Middle East. The UAE unveiled $1.36 billion in local and foreign arms deals to supply its forces with everything from South African drones to Serbian artillery. Although the figure surpasses the 2019 show’s opening announcement, defense experts anticipate a drop in military spending this year as the pandemic and slumping global oil prices squeeze budgets in the Gulf.
UAE announces $2 billion in defence contracts, confirms Saab GlobalEye deal – The United Arab Emirates armed forces announced at the Abu Dhabi defence exhibition it had signed defence contracts worth 7.293 billion dirhams ($2 billion) with local and international firms. The deals included a 3.74 billion dirhams contract with Saab for GlobalEye surveillance systems that was in January. It also included a 2.61 billion dirhams agreement for Patriot missiles from Raytheon.
Yemen in Crisis
Heavy clashes rage in central Yemen; dozens killed – Heavy fighting between forces of Yemen’s internationally recognized government and Houthi rebels reignited again on 14 Feb, extending a week of violence in the oil-rich province of Marib. With dozens killed, the fighting has cast major doubt over UN-led efforts to restart negotiations to end years of civil war.
Houthi offensive on Yemen's Marib threatens mass displacement, U.N. warns – An offensive by Yemen’s Houthi group to take Marib city, the last stronghold of the internationally-recognised government, threatens to displace hundreds of thousands and complicate a renewed diplomatic push to end the war, UN officials say.
US urges Yemen’s rebels to halt attack on central province – The US on 16 Feb urged Yemen’s Houthi rebels to halt their attack on Marib, which is held by the rival internationally recognized government, warning against exacerbating the humanitarian crisis in the country.
Yemen's Houthis say they have struck Saudi's Jeddah, Abha airports with drones – Yemen’s Houthi group said on 15 Feb it had struck Saudi Arabia’s Abha and Jeddah airports with drones, which Houthi military spokesman Yahya Sarea said halted operations at the airports for two hours as a result. The Saudi-led coalition said it had intercepted and destroyed an explosive-laden drone fired by the Houthis toward the kingdom, but no confirmation of disruption to the airports.
Yemen donor conference expected in March – A fundraising event for Yemen’s humanitarian crisis is expected to take place in early March, hosted virtually by Sweden and Switzerland. A UN-backed push for international donors last June fell short of its $2.4 billion target, raising only $1.3 billion for what the United Nations describes as the world’s largest humanitarian operation.
Yemen famine could threaten opportunity for peace, U.N. warns – A massive famine could wipe out a new opportunity, created by renewed US engagement, to end the war in Yemen, top UN officials told the Security Council on 18 Feb.
Saudi-led coalition in Yemen moves troops to Marib to repel Houthi assault – The Saudi-led coalition fighting in Yemen has redeployed troops to the Marib region and increased air strikes to try to repel an advance by the Houthis.
Yemen prisoner swap talks ends without a deal – A round of United Nations-backed negotiations for a prisoner exchange between Yemen’s internationally recognised government and the Houthi group have ended without an agreement and with each side blaming the other for the lack of progress. The talks began in January in Jordan with the aim of freeing a total of 300 prisoners on both sides, including senior officials such as the brother of President Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi. “Although the parties did not agree to releases during this round of talks, they committed to keep discussing the parameters of a future expanded release operation,” the office of UN Yemen envoy Martin Griffiths said.
British arms sales prolonging Saudi war in Yemen, says Oxfam – Oxfam has accused the British government of prolonging the war in Yemen by allowing the export of air-to-air refuelling equipment that it fears could be used to help the Saudi air force conduct indiscriminate bombing in the country. The technology was licensed to Riyadh last summer when arms restrictions were lifted, alongside £1.4bn of other sales.
Heavy fighting kills 27 people in central Yemen – Heavy fighting between rebels and government forces in Yemen’s oil-rich Marib has killed at least 27 people, amid a resurgence of violence in the area.
UN sanctions top Houthi police official in Yemen’s capital – The UN Security Council imposed sanctions on 25 Feb on a top police security official, Sultan Saleh Aida Aida Zabin - director of the Criminal Investigation Department - in the capital Sanaa, which is controlled by Houthi rebels, citing his prominent role in intimidations, systematic arrests, detentions, torture, sexual violence “and rape against politically active women.”
Yemen's children starve as U.N. seeks billions to avoid vast 'man-made' famine – On 1 Mar, the United Nations hopes to raise some $3.85 billion at a virtual pledging event to avert what UN’s aid chief Mark Lowcock says would be a large-scale “man-made” famine, the worst the world will have seen for decades. Some 80% of Yemenis need help, with 400,000 children under the age of five severely malnourished, according to UN data.
Domestic Affairs
Kuwait Puts Citizens Before Expats as Vaccine Push Stirs Anger – Kuwait’s vaccinating its citizens against COVID-19 at six times the rate of expatriates who make up two-thirds of the population, spurring claims of racism and concerns the discrepancy will delay a return to normal life. Around 119,000 Kuwaitis and 18,000 expats have been vaccinated, despite more than half of those registered for a jab being foreign.
Kuwait emir suspends parliament sessions for a month – Kuwait’s Emir Sheikh Nawaf al-Ahmad al-Sabah issued a decree on 17 Feb, suspending parliament’s sessions for one month as of 18 Feb. The move follows a standoff between the elected assembly and the appointed government that led the cabinet to resign last month.
Trial of Olympic sheikh on forgery charge pushed back – The trial of Sheikh Ahmad al-Fahad al-Sabah, the kingmaker of Olympic elections, was adjourned in criminal court on 22 Feb, before any evidence was presented of alleged forgery to implicate a political rival in Kuwait in a fake coup plot.
Beach volleyball stars boycott Qatar tournament over bikini ban – Two German beach volleyball stars have said they will boycott a tournament in Qatar because it is “the only country” where players are forbidden from wearing bikinis on court. The players say bikinis necessary due to heat on court, and question if Qatar is a suitable host nation.
Sheikh Yamani, Mastermind of Saudi Oil Supremacy, Dies at 90 – Sheikh Ahmed Zaki Yamani, Saudi Arabia’s long-serving oil minister and the public face of the 1973 oil embargo that triggered a global recession and punctuated the country’s newfound role as an oil-market superpower, has died. He was 90. Mr. Yamani, who suffered from poor health for years, died in London.
Saudi Arabia crown prince has successful surgery for appendicitis – Saudi Arabia’s Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman had a successful surgical operation for appendicitis and left the King Faisal Specialist Hospital in healthy condition.
'No smoking gun,' 'We are all Mohammed bin Salman,' say crown prince supporters – “No smoking gun,” pro-government Saudi commentators concluded in response to a US intelligence assessment that Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman had approved the operation to capture or kill Jamal Khashoggi. A few minutes after the report was released, many Saudis flooded Twitter with the hashtag saying, “We are all Mohammed bin Salman.” Rights groups called for tough action.
Saudi Arabia rejects U.S. intelligence report on Khashoggi's killing – Saudi Arabia said it rejected completely “the negative, false and unacceptable” assessment of a US intelligence report that found Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman had approved the killing of Jamal Khashoggi.
Saudi-led coalition says it thwarted Houthi missile attack on Riyadh – The Saudi-led coalition fighting Yemen’s Houthi group said it had thwarted a ballistic missile attack by the Houthis on Riyadh, and destroyed six armed drones launched towards southern Saudi cities. A coalition statement carried on state media said the drones aimed to target “civilians and civilian objects” in the southern region, Jazan and Khamis Mushait.
Sentence reduced for driver in fatal Dubai tour bus crash – A Dubai court reduced the sentence of an Omani driver who crashed a bus carrying tourists in 2019, killing 17 people on board. The appeals court reduced the driver’s seven-year sentence followed by deportation down to just one year without deportation. The driver will still have to pay a $13,612 fine and some $925,660 to the families of the victims.
UAE aviation agency clears Boeing 737 Max to fly again – The United Arab Emirates announced on 17 Feb it has lifted its ban on Boeing’s 737 Max, allowing the plane to return to its skies after being grounded for nearly two years following a pair of deadly crashes.
United Arab Emirates publishes first photo from Mars probe – The United Arab Emirates on 14 Feb published the first image for its Mars probe now circling the red planet. The picture, shows sunlight just coming across the surface of Mars. It shows Mars’ north pole, as well as Mars’ largest volcano, Olympus Mons. The image comes from its “Amal,” or “Hope,” space probe.
Dubai’s Emirates seeks key role in global vaccine delivery – The Middle East’s biggest airline is pivoting from shuttling people to shipping cargo — and grabbing a central role in the global vaccine delivery race. State-owned carrier Emirates already delivered millions of doses to Latin America, South Africa and Egypt from major manufacturing hubs in India and elsewhere.
Yemen warns against possible second coronavirus wave – Hospitals should prepare for a possible second wave of COVID-19 and take steps to prevent the disease spreading, health authorities in the government-controlled part of Yemen said on 24 Feb. Testing and reporting are limited because of Yemen’s more than six-year war but the number of confirmed new cases has risen in the past 10 days, after levelling off since September to just a couple a day.
Houthis again delay expert examination of tanker off Yemen – The United Nations said 24 Feb that new requests by Yemen’s Houthi rebels will further delay UN experts from examining an oil tanker moored off the war-torn country’s coast loaded with more than 1 million barrels of crude oil that is at risk of leaking. The UN warned last year that the tanker, the FSO Safer, hasn’t been maintained for more than five years.
Reports and Opinions
Remembering a taste of freedom in Bahrain, 10 years ago – Sayed Ahmed Alwadei is the director of advocacy at the Bahrain Institute for Rights and Democracy. He recounts his memory of the Arab Spring in Bahrain, which began 10 years ago this month. Since the uprising, any vestige of pro-democracy sentiment in Bahrain has been ruthlessly suppressed. Despite the measures implemented to curb dissent, Bahrain’s rulers remain terrified of their people and have gone to extreme lengths to prevent anyone marking the Arab Spring’s 10th anniversary. The acquiescence of successive US administrations has taught the government that it need not fear repercussions. Alwadei questions if President Biden will pursue a different course to his predecessors, saying early signs are encouraging. It is time for Biden to put geopolitics aside and let the people of Bahrain decide their own future.
How Biden should engage Bahrain – Last November, Bahrainis had hoped the appointment of Crown Prince Salman bin Hamad Al Khalifa as the new prime minister, the country would witness a period of political reform and could set the stage for sectarian reconciliation. So far, Salman has shown no tangible indications that he would move in that direction. Opening up the country and allowing its people to resume their social and political interactions freely would ultimately pave the way toward creating a more highly educated and free public and a technologically advanced and economically vibrant country, much like Singapore. It is time for the US under the Biden administration to call out Al Khalifa and other Arab autocrats on their human rights record and to convince them that diplomatic engagement is more effective in solving pressing global and regional challenges than the force of arms. Heading the President’s recent statements on democracy, diplomacy, and human rights is the only way for Salman to chart a new course and for Al Khalifa could stay in power in partnership with their people.
What's behind Biden's snub of Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed Bin Salman – In a region where respect, or the lack of it, is as powerful as a physical punch, President Joe Biden's press secretary, Jen Psaki, landed a sharp jab on the jaw of Saudi Arabia's heir apparent by saying acknowledging his father, King Salman, as the only counterpart the President will discuss. The move reflects Biden's public disapproval of the ruler. But perhaps what interests President Biden is not the impact the diplomatic putdown will have inside the kingdom, but how it will resonate around the rest of the world.
Khashoggi confidant Omar Abdulaziz: 'I’m worried about the safety of the people of Saudi Arabia' – Not long before he was murdered, Jamal Khashoggi told his friend Omar Abdulaziz two things.The first was: “Never forget, your words matter.” And the second: “Be careful, this kind of work might get you killed.” Abdulaziz, lives in exile in Montreal, Canada, where he has been among the most vocal critics of the Saudi regime that killed his friend. Much of this story is set out in the film The Dissident, made by documentary director Bryan Fogel.
Aerial Attacks on Saudi Arabia Expose Vulnerability of U.S. Ally – Increasingly frequent drones and missiles launched in the past month from Yemen and Iraq show gaps in air defenses, as Biden reconsiders US policy. Yemen’s Houthi rebels have escalated attacks across the kingdom’s southern border, including a strike last week at a provincial airport. They have also launched drones and missiles against a nearby military base and Jeddah’s international airport, which the Saudi-led coalition fighting the Houthis in Yemen said had been intercepted. New disclosures about the incidents show the limits of Saudi Arabia’s defenses and the expanding reach of the country’s foes, even though none of the incidents have produced significant casualties.
MBS role in murder revealed, but Biden’s Saudi approach is less clear – President Biden has indicated that he will release the unclassified summary of the US intelligence community’s findings linking the murder of Jamal Khashoggi to Mohamed bin Salman in October 2018, which President Trump declined to release. The release of the report is the latest indication that the days of unquestioned US support for Saudi Arabia in general and MBS in particular are over. However, for all Biden’s public expressions of censure — including the announcement last week that Biden would communicate with King Salman, who suffers from dementia, rather than his son, the de facto ruler — Biden has not shifted the foundations of the US relationship to Saudi Arabia very much at all.
Crushing Dissent: The Saudi Kill Team Behind Khashoggi’s Death – An elite unit, assigned to protect Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman is said to have carried out dozens of operations, including forcibly repatriating Saudis and the killing of Khashoggi, according to a declassified report on the assassination released on 26 Feb.
Biden Won’t Penalize Saudi Crown Prince Over Khashoggi’s Killing, Fearing Relations Breach – The decision will disappoint the human rights community and members of his own party who complained during the Trump administration that the US was failing to hold Mohammed bin Salman accountable. President Biden has decided that the diplomatic cost of directly penalizing the crown prince, is too high, despite a detailed American intelligence finding that he directly approved the killing of Jamal Khashoggi.
Mohammed bin Salman Is an Odious Murderer. We Should Help Saudi Arabia Anyway. – It is easy to frame the release of the intelligence report on Khashoggi’s murder as an attempt by President Joe Biden to “reset” the US-Saudi relationship. Yet, despite these moves, like so many aspects of his nascent presidency, Biden’s approach to Saudi Arabia so far is mostly a reversion to the pre-Trump status quo, rather than an overdue and fundamental shift in policy. But a fundamental shift in policy is needed. The status quo in Saudi Arabia is unsustainable. The dysfunction of the US-Saudi relationship long predates Trump. If MBS demonstrates that he is willing to rein in violence abroad and cruelty at home, Biden should then transition to a longer-term strategy: supporting Saudi Arabia in a manner that does not fuel recklessness or repression. He should welcome MBS’ more productive impulses, namely toward diversifying the Saudi economy and reducing societal restrictions. Bin Salman has laid out a plan for the future of Saudi Arabia called “Vision 2030” that expresses a desire to reduce Saudi dependence on oil exports and to become an “epicenter of trade.”
Named, shamed but unscathed: Saudi crown prince spared by US realpolitik – The US has sanctioned 76 people linked to Khashoggi’s murder, but not Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman. 26 Feb was the day that Joe Biden’s vaunted drive to put human rights back at the centre of US foreign policy slammed, as such drives usually do, into the brick wall of great power realpolitik. However, the crown prince was not on the list of 76 Saudis sanctioned under the new Khashoggi ban unveiled by the secretary of state, Antony Blinken, imposing visa restrictions at foreigners “conducting serious, extraterritorial counter-dissident activities, including those that suppress, harass, surveil, threaten, or harm journalists, activists, or other persons perceived to be dissidents for their work”. Used to the full, the Khashoggi ban could lead to wholesale expulsions of diplomats and other operatives from dictatorships like China, which have been heavily involved in intimidation of Chinese nationals and Chinese Americans living in the US. US officials point out that every administration does business in the national interest with leaders with blood on their hands. This week may be looked back on as the one in which the effort to make MbS a pariah finally failed.
Mohammed bin Salman is guilty of murder. Biden should not give him a pass. – The Biden administration’s release of a CIA report confirmed the murder of Jamal Khashoggi was approved by Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman. Under US law, Mohammed bin Salman, ought to be banned from travel to the US and subjected to an asset freeze. That President Biden has chosen not to pursue that course suggests that the “fundamental” change he promised in US-Saudi relations will not include holding to account its reckless ruler, who consequently is unlikely to be deterred from further criminal behavior. In the end, the US-Saudi relationship under Mr. Biden may look much like it did before the Trump administration, when the kingdom was treated as a prime US ally in the Middle East. Though MBS will still be engaged by high-level officials. Mr. Biden is granting what amounts to a pass to a ruler who has sown instability around the Middle East in recent years while presiding over the most severe repression of dissent in modern Saudi history. At a minimum, the administration ought to require, as a condition for normal relations, that the architect of the Khashoggi murder and other human rights offenses — Saud al-Qahtani, a close aide of MBS named in the CIA report — be brought to justice. If the criminal apparatus MBS employed against Khashoggi is not dismantled, there will be more victims.
Lack of sanctions for crown prince shows weight Riyadh holds – After two years of blanket cover from Donald Trump, a new US president has officially blamed Mohammed bin Salman for the most savage political slaying of modern times and brought the Saudi heir’s unchecked run with Washington to a humiliating halt. But the decision to avoid penalising the crown prince was seen in Riyadh as a validation of the weight it still holds even with officials hostile to it. Despite being a pariah, it remains a key player and given what could have transpired, the mood in the Saudi capital on Friday night was one of relief. The much-anticipated report did little more than put the CIA’s name to the blindingly obvious conclusion that Prince Mohammed was too powerful not to have authorised an assassination carried out by his most trusted aides. In the kingdom’s halls of power, the carefully worded document was seen as offering nothing to support its main finding. The gruesome murder in Istanbul has severely marked Prince Mohammed’s cards, but is yet to block his path to the throne.
The Observer view on Saudi Arabia’s crown prince – How can the west continue to do business with the man who approved Jamal Khashoggi’s murder? Joe Biden is to be commended for making the CIA’s findings on Khashoggi public after they were blocked by Donald Trump. But Biden’s too-pragmatic decision not to penalise Salman himself, the plot’s ringleader, and, in effect, let him off the hook, is dismaying. The contradiction is glaring. How can Biden, and Britain’s foreign secretary, Dominic Raab, credibly stress the paramount importance of human rights and the international rule of law while continuing to do business with a man the US publicly accuses of conspiracy to murder? What should the British government do? It must not allow geostrategic concerns to trump fundamental rights and values. It should sanction the crown prince, at the very least, by adding his name to the list of 20 Saudi nationals on whom Raab imposed travel bans and asset freezes last year over their involvement in Khashoggi’s death. Britain should halt sales of weapons and equipment that could be used in Yemen or to suppress domestic dissent. And it should unreservedly back efforts to bring Mohammed bin Salman to justice for conspiracy to murder.
Wife of Jamal Khashoggi speaks to DW – Hanan El Atr, an Egyptian woman who said she married Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi months before he was killed, told DW she had come forward after the release of the CIA report, to deliver his message.
Sheikh Mohammed: disturbing glimpses beneath a refined public image – The distressing videos recorded by Sheikha Latifa bint Mohammed al-Maktoum, jar with the image Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid al-Maktoum has cultivated as a business visionary, poet, horseman and progressive Arab leader. Though he is one the wealthiest royals in the world, surprisingly little is known of a figure. Most of the public information about Sheikh Mohammed has been fashioned by his own hand: three memoirs, extensive collections of poetry and a 2017 guidebook to cultivating happiness and positivity. Then there are the darker glimpses of the man. They first emerged two decades ago in desperate phone call to a British solicitor by a young woman, Shamsa bint Mohammed al-Maktoum, claiming to be estranged from her father, the sheikh. A few weeks later she was snatched from a street in Cambridge and has disappeared from public view.
Dubai's double standards put Sheikh Maktoum under pressure – The United Arab Emirate's carefully administered public image is taking a different turn. Growing calls for evidence that Princess Latifa is alive reflect the emirate's double standards on human rights.
The tourists who flock to Dubai seem happy to overlook a few missing princesses – Human rights abuses cut little ice with holidaymakers who rush to the beach. How many abducted and imprisoned princesses would it take for British tourists to turn their backs on Dubai? Three? Four? Ten? Because two “disappeared” princesses doesn’t look like being enough, even now that a secretly filmed account by one of them, saying she had been captured, assaulted, drugged and repatriated, has appeared on the BBC – corroborating the fact-finding judgment of a UK judge, published a year ago.
Saudi-led attacks devastated Yemen’s civilian infrastructure, dramatically worsening the humanitarian crisis – A new report documents how the Saudi/UAE coalition targeted critical civilian infrastructure in Yemen. The authors used a variety of data sources to track the targeting of energy, water and sanitation, agriculture, and health infrastructure by all parties to the conflict — from Saudi air attacks to shelling by political militias and Houthi forces.
To be a ‘force for good,’ the UK must end support for the Saudi war in Yemen – In an address to the Munich Security Conference on February 19, UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson claimed UK should be a “force for good” in the world. Johnson, alongside Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab, sees this as a key component of the “Global Britain” agenda post-Brexit, and the phrase has been a frequent refrain in their speeches over the past two years. In practice, however, the government is not living up to this ideal. The government’s refusal this month to cease sales of offensive weapons to countries like Saudi Arabia, is incompatible with its goal to be a force for good. The refusal highlights a tension at the heart of the Global Britain project. On the one hand, the government has demonstrated that a robust international defense of human rights is a core element of its desire to be a force for good. On the other hand, the UK is the world’s second biggest arms exporter after the US, with over £11 billion in sales in 2019. Johnson has used a fig leaf of legality to justify ongoing exports to Saudi Arabia.
The Guardian view on the Yemen war: US needs deeds, not just words, to make peace – If diplomacy is back, as the US president Joe Biden claims, then diplomats need to be able to talk to foes as well as friends. Probably out of the loop for some time will be Mohammed bin Salman, the Saudi crown prince, along with the UAE’s Mohammed bin Zayed, who have played the west off against Moscow to secure UN cover for the carnage and then occupied strategically important pieces of Yemeni real estate. The west’s interest must be now to stabilise Yemen and put in place a durable political process. What is required is a negotiated process that includes homegrown voices from every side of the conflict – including Houthis, southern separatists and the Muslim Brotherhood. Yemen’s diverse communities have traditionally been able to compromise. Mr Biden cannot solve Yemen’s problems. But he can, and he should, bring together Yemenis to do so
COVID-19 Leads to 73% Drop in Migration from Horn of Africa to Gulf Countries – New data published by the International Organization for Migration (IOM) this week confirms a nearly three-fourths decline in migration from the East and Horn of Africa regions towards Gulf Council Countries during 2020. These findings are significant, especially because African migration through Yemen to the Gulf of Arabia has been high for the past four years—despite security risks in Yemen, which migrants from the region must cross to reach the Kingdom Saudi Arabia and beyond. Despite reduced arrivals in 2020—due in part to COVID-19 related restrictions—risks increased with more detention, exploitation and forced transfers.
علاقات إقليمية ودولية
تقرير الاستخبارات الأميركية: ولي العهد السعودي وافق على خطف أو قتل خاشقجي
.كشف التقرير الاستخباري الأمريكي النقاب عن أن محمد بن سلمان أجاز عملية خطف وقتل جمال خاشقجي
جمال خاشقجي: إدارة جو بايدن تستعد لنشر تقرير سري حول مقتل الصحفي السعودي
.تستعد واشنطن لنشر تقرير بشأن مقتل الصحفي السعودي جمال خاشقجي، ومن المتوقع أن "يدين" التقرير ولي العهد السعودي محمد بن سلمان بالتورط في الجريمة
السعودية: نرفض رفضا قاطعا ما ورد في تقرير الكونغرس بشأن مقتل خاشقجي
.رفضت السعودية المزاعم والاستنتاجات في التقرير الاستخباري الأمريكي وقد أعربت السعودية أن هذا يمثل انتهاكا لسيادة البلد
كبار العلماء السعودية ترفض التقرير الأميركي حول مقتل خاشقجي
".رفض كبار العلماء في السعودية رفضا قاطعاً التقرير الاستخباري الأمريكي قائلة "إنه لم يبن على أي أدلة أو حقائق
الكويت تعلن رفضها القاطع لكل ما من شأنه المساس بسيادة السعودية
.أعربت الكويت عن تضامنها مع السعودية بشأن التقرير الذي تم تزويد الكونغرس الأمريكي به عن اغتيال جمال خاشقجي
الأول منذ انتخابه.. أكسيوس: الرئيس الأميركي يعتزم الاتصال بالملك السعودي اليوم
.قال وزير الخارجية الأمريكي أن واشنطن تراجع علاقتها مع السعودية لضمان أنها تتماشى مع المصالح والمبادئ الأمريكية. وقد جاءت هذه التصريحات وفقا لتقرير استخباراتي بشأن اغتيال جمال خاشقجي
مقال في فورين أفيرز: الاستقرار في الشرق الأوسط يتطلب أكثر من اتفاق مع إيران
.يوصي العديد من الخبراء بأن على بايدن أن ينفذ خطة عمل لحلحلة المشاكل في الشرق الأوسط وتقليل التوترات الإقليمية الراهنة
أول اجتماع مصري ـ قطري منذ اتفاق المصالحة
عقدت قطر ومصر اجتماعا رسميا في الكويت لبحث عدد من القضايا ذات الاهتمام المشترك والعلاقة الثنائية بين البلدين. والجدير بالذكر أن هذا الاجتماع كان الأول بين البلدين منذ أن فرضت مجموعة من البلدان حصارا على قطر
قطر: نشجع الدبلوماسية والحوار في ملف الاتفاق النووي مع إيران
.تبذل قطر جهودا كبيرة لإحياء الاتفاق النووي سعيا لحلحلة الأزمة والتي ستؤدي إلى استقرار المنطقة
تحرك كويتي مكثف لتفعيل المصالحة الخليجية
.تواصل الكويت لعب دورها الحيوي كوسيط في المنطقة وتبذل مساعي كثيرة ترمي إلى إنهاء حالة الحصار المفروض على قطر
اقتصاد
ارتفاع أسعار النفط.. هل يعني بداية شيء أكبر بكثير؟
.يتساءل الخبراء عما سيحدث لأسعار النفط بعد تعافي الاقتصاد من الفيروس
تعرف على تفاصيل مشروع خطوط نقل الغاز لحل أزمة كهرباء غزة بتمويل قطري أوروبي
مثّل الإعلان عن مشروع إنشاء خطوط ناقلة للغاز إلى قطاع غزة، بتمويل قطري أوروبي، بارقة أمل لمليوني فلسطيني يعانون أزمة كهرباء مستعصية منذ فرض إسرائيل حصارها المشدد على القطاع الساحلي في العام 2006
قطر للبترول توقع اتفاقية طويلة الأمد لتزويد باكستان بـ 3 ملايين طن سنويا من الغاز المسال
.وقعت قطر للبترول اتفاقية طويلة الأمد مع شركة النفط الحكومية الباكستانية لتزويد هذا البلد بما يصل إلى 3 ملايين طن سنويا من الغاز الطبيعي المسال
سياسة
محمد بن سلمان يغادر المستشفى بعد جراحة ناجحة لاستئصال الزائدة
.أعلنت السلطات السعودية أن مستشفى الملك فيصل التخصصي بالرياض قد أجرى جراحة للأمير بن سلمان لاستئصال الزائدة وتقليل الالتهاب الذي أصيب به
كلوب هاوس: ينتشر بين الباحثين عن "مساحة آمنة" و"القلقين من أثره على المجتمع السعودي"
.مع انطلاقة التطبيق الجديد "كلوب هاوس" طالب بعض المحافظين المؤيدين لسياسة الحكومة في السعودية بالتضييق على انتشاره واستخدامه بين الشباب السعودي
تجنيد النساء: إعلان وزارة الدفاع السعودية يثير نقاشا عبر مواقع التواصل
.أعلنت وزارة الدفاع السعودية إمكانية التحاق المرأة بالخدمة العسكرية مما فتح نقاشا واسعا عبر مواقع التواصل الاجتماعي في المملكة
اهتمام إعلامي عالمي بصورة مسبار الأمل الأولى للمريخ
.يحتفي الإعلام الإماراتي بوصول مسبار الأمل إلى المريخ وتمثل المهمة إحدى مبادراتها لتنويع المصادر بدلا عن النفط
الحرب في اليمن
معارك مستعرة في مأرب اليمنية وتحذيرات حكومية وأممية من كارثة إنسانية غير مسبوقة
.تناشد المنظمات الدولية لوقف النار والهجمات التي قد أسفرت عن ازدياد في حركة النزوح السكاني حيث يعيش الأبرياء في مخيمات مشتتة وفي حالة من الجوع والهلع
احتدام القتال في مأرب.. قلق أممي والنواب يحذّرون من سقوطها بيد الحوثيين
.أعلنت الحكومة اليمنية أن هناك مخاوف مشروعة بشأن التصعيد العسكري في مأرب ناهيك عن تداعيات محتملة على المدنيين
اليمن.. القوات الحكومية ترد على هجوم الحوثيين في مأرب وغريفيث يبحث بالرياض استئناف المفاوضات
.تصاعدت التوترات بين الحوثيين وقوات الحكومة في مأرب معاقل الحكومة في شمال اليمن والتي أسفرت عن زيادة في نسبة النزوح السكاني
السعودية تعلن اعتراض هجوم باليستي حوثي باتجاه العاصمة الرياض وتدمير 6 طائرات مسيرة
.اعترضت السعودية بعض الطائرات المسيرة باتجاه المدن السعودية، وتشير القرائن إلى أن الحوثيين قد ارتكبوا هذه الأفعال بيد أن الجماعة لم تعلن فورا مسؤوليتها
قانون
المحاماة خارج السرب.. رحلة القطرية غادة درويش إلى تحكيم النزاعات الرياضية
.كشف هذا الحوار عن التحديات التي شهدتها المرأة في مجال القانون في قطر وناقشت الرائدة غادة درويش تجربتها في مهنة المحاماة وكيف تركت بصمتها على هيئة التحكيم في قطر
القضاء الأميركي يرفض إسقاط تهمة التجسس لصالح السعودية عن موظف سابق في تويتر
.طلب المحامي لموظف تويتر السابق من المحكمة الفدرالية في كاليفورنيا للقيام بطعن الحكم بيد أن المحكمة رفضت إسقاط التهمة الجنائية والطعن حيث اشتملت التهم التآمر والاحتيال وغسيل الأموال
مفوضة حقوق الإنسان تحث السعودية على السماح بحرية التعبير والتجمع
.شددت مفوضة الأمم المتحدة في تصريح نادر أهمية حقوق الإنسان وذكرت أن هناك معتقلين ومحتجزين في السعودية الذين يستحقون الاحترام والعدالة
الأميرة لطيفة طلبت من بريطانيا التحقيق حول خطف أختها
.حاولت الشيخة لطيفة الهروب من حياة القيود والقمع، غير أن عملية الهروب باءت بالفشل. وتشير الأدلة الدامغة إلى أنها لا تزال تعيش في حالة من الإقامة الجبرية
فن وثقافة
رحيل الفنان الكويتي مشاري البلام.. أبرز أبناء جيله وصاحب الأدوار المركبة
.رحل الممثل مشاري البلام متأثرا بإصابته بفيروس كورونا قبل أيام، وقد نعاه كثير من زملائه واصفين وفاته بالخسارة الفادحة للوسط الفني
آراء وتقارير
الإسلامية السائلة: موسم الهجرة إلى "السلفية المعاصرة"
هذه المقالة تسلط الضوء على تيار بعض السلفيين الذين يستخدمون الفضاء الافتراضي لتقديم مساقات في الفقه والعقيدة إلى الشباب في بعض البلدان مثل السعودية والكويت لاسيما في الفترة ما بعد الحظر على الإخوان المسلمين
المرأة اليمنية من ربيع الثورة إلى جحيم الحرب - الرحلة العكسية
.لعبت المرأة اليمنية دورا حيويا في ثورة فبراير وهذه المشاركة تمثل انعطافة حادة غير متوقعة في مجتمع محافظ
سحب قاتمة تخيم على صفقة "غوغل" مع السعودية
كشف هذا التقرير عن العلاقة القوية بين السعودية وغوغل لتعقب المعارضين والناشطين لحقوق الإنسان على بعض المنصات الإلكترونية.