[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
Islamic State leader urges attacks in Saudi Arabia: speech Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi calls for attacks on Saudi Arabia in his most recent speech.
£41k a month and 2% on top: Blair`s deal with Saudis leads to questions over former PM`s lucrative contract John Stevens writes on a secret contract between a Saudi oil company and the former British prime minister.
Iraq president in Saudi Arabia to patch up ties The Iraqi president visits Riyadh to discuss security relations and cooperation in fighting terrorism.
Al Houthi advance raises alert for Saudi border guards The military advances of the Houthis in Yemen are alarming Saudi Arabia.
Ex-Yemen President Saleh sanctioned by US The US government blacklists the former Yemeni president and two Houthi leaders for posing a threat to Yemen’s stability.
Oman gets grant of $1.75b from Kuwait The Gulf Cooperation Council pledges to provide twenty billion dollars in financial aid to Bahrain and Oman.
Mystery over GCC summit deepens A news report on the mystery surrounding the fate of the Gulf Cooperation Council summit, which was supposed to be held in Doha last week.
Gulf Arab leaders to meet in Riyadh: Bahrain state media Leaders of the Gulf Cooperation Council held a meeting in Riyadh on Sunday to discuss the internal rift.
Gulf state ambassadors return to Qatar after eight-month rift Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, and Bahrain announce that their ambassadors will return to Doha following the Riyadh summit.
Qatar emir issues summit invite amid strains over Islamists The Qatari emir invites the leaders of the Gulf Cooperation Council to attend a summit to be held in Doha next month.
UAE lists scores of groups as `terrorists` The United Arab Emirates lists the Muslim Brotherhood and the Islamic State in Iraq and Greater Syria, among another eighty organizations, as “terrorist groups.”
Reports and Opinions
Human rights in the Gulf: The new unpeople An Economist article on the denaturalization of activists in the Gulf states.
Riyadh calms sectarian tensions after deadly attack Sunni leaders in Saudi Arabia express solidarity with the Shia following the attack on people commemorating Ashoura a few weeks ago.
More sentences in Oman anti-corruption drive Muscat Criminal Court sentences several Omanis to different prison sentences on charges of corruption.
419 candidates to run for Bahrain elections Four hundred candidates running for parliamentary and municipal elections in Bahrain.
Repression in Bahrain
Bahrain arrests 13 female activists demanding anti-regime vote A news report on the arrest of thirteen female activists in Bahrain.
Crisis in Yemen
Yemen`s Houthi group endorse new government: presidential aide The Houthis endorse the new government despite opposition to some of the ministers.
Yemen president`s future hangs by a thread Peter Salisbury analyzes the ongoing struggle over power between the Yemeni president and the Houthis.
Dozens killed in clashes in southern Yemen Clashes between Sunni tribesmen and Houthi fighters leave thirty people dead in Bayda.
Houthis gain ground against Yemen`s al-Qaeda Houthi fighters are gaining ground in Radaa, an al-Qa‘ida stronghold.
At least 33 dead in Yemeni clashes, U.S. drone kills seven Several al-Qa‘ida militants die in a US drone strike.
Requiem for a Yemeni Dream: Houthis in Sanaa An article on the fall of Sanaa to the Houthi fighters.
Migrant Workers
Kuwait opens shelter for `runaway maids` Thessa Lageman writes on a shelter built by the Kuwaiti government to house domestic workers fleeing hardship at the hands of their employers.
Qatar vows to change ‘kafala’ labour law Qatar promises to implement new laws to replace the current “kafala” sponsorship system.
Human Rights
Kuwait ‘playing games’ with lives of more than 100,000 Bidun residents Amnesty International condemns the Kuwaiti government’s announcement that the Bidoon may be able to obtain Comoros citizenship.
Qatar: Steps to end migrants’ exploitation ahead of World Cup ‘woefully insufficient’ Amnesty International asserts that the Qatari regime has failed to improve the living conditions of migrant workers.
UAE: Authorities Continue to Target Human Rights Defenders The Gulf Center for Human Rights deplores the ongoing persecution of human right activists in the United Arab Emirates.
Anti-terror laws threaten human rights defenders in Bahrain, Saudi Arabia and the UAE The Gulf Center for Human Rights writes on a panel held in Washington, DC, entitled “Criminalization of Dissent in Bahrain, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates.”
Bahrain: Women targeted in mass arrests over “popular referendum” The Bahrain Center for Human Rights, Americans for Democracy & Human Rights in Bahrain, and the Bahrain Institute for Rights and Democracy condemn the arrest of female activists in Bahrain.
Inmate Reportedly Beaten to Death at Bahrain’s Central Prison The Bahrain Center for Human Rights reports on Hasan Majeed al-Shaikh, who was found dead in his prison cell.
Media
Al-Jazeera English chief says more must be done for journalists in Egypt jail Al Jazeera English director asserts that more needs to be done to free the three jailed journalists.
Culture
Mecca under threat: Outrage at plan to destroy the ‘birthplace’ of the Prophet Mohamed and replace it with a new palace and luxury malls Andrew Johnson writes on the ongoing destruction of historical sites in Mecca.
The pearl fishers of Arabia A news report on pearl fishing, which flourished in the region, a century ago.
Arabic
اليمن | جماعة «أنصار الله»: شركاء لا إنقلابيون!
Joey Salim argues that the Houthis are seeking to be partners in power in an attempt to curb US-Saudi influence in Yemen.
سيطرة الحوثيين في اليمن تدق جرس الإنذار السعودي
The increasing influence of the Houthis is alarming Saudi Arabia.
الرياض تسعّر حرب "القاعدة" والقبائل ضد الحوثيين
Saudi Arabia is instigating al-Qa’ida and different tribes against the Houthis in Yemen.
هكذا يشيطنون «الحوثي» في جنوب السعودية!
Sarah Al Mashafi writes on the negative portrayal of the Houthi leader in southern Saudi Arabia.
اليمن: هجوم في رداع وأنباء عن سقوط قتلى
Tens of Houthis die in a car explosion in Radaa in Yemen.
اليمن: 15 قتيلاً في قصف على رداع
Fifteen people die after the Houthis shell Radaa.
اشتباكات بين الحوثيين والأمن في مطار صنعاء
Three people die in clashes between the Houthis and security forces near the airport in Sanaa.
السلاح في اليمن.. يُباع في الأسواق العامّة
A news report on the open sale of arms in Yemen’s markets.
أحداث عاشوراء تعمق مقولة يسقط حمد
Abbas Bousafwan calls upon the Bahraini king to step down in light of the ongoing persecution of the Shi’i population in Bahrain.
السلطات البحرينية تعتقل ناشطات معارضات
Bahraini authorities arrest female Bahraini activists calling for an anti-regime referendum.
السعودية | طائفيون في مواجهة الطائفية!
Khadija al-Harbi analyzes the implication of the attack on people commemorating Ashoura in Saudi Arabia a few weeks ago.
أمير قطر يعين أخاه غير الشقيق عبدالله بن حمد نائبا له
The Qatari emir appointed his step-brother as his deputy.
السعودية تبحث "تطبيع العلاقات" مع العراق
Saudi Arabia is looking into “normalizing its relations” with Iraq.
السيستاني: لعلاقات "جيدة" مع السعودية
Iraq’s Shia marji’, Ali Husseini al-Sistani, calls for “good” relations with Saudi Arabia ahead of the Iraqi president’s visit to Riyadh.
المالكي في طهران.. ومعصوم إلى السعودية
A news report on the Iraqi president’s visit to Saudi Arabia.
العراق | وفد أمني سعودي في بغداد قريباً
A Saudi security delegate is set to visit Iraq very soon.
الجبوري إلى السعودية والعبادي ينتظر «دعوة»!
The Iraqi speaker of the house will visit Saudi Arabia soon.
الكويت تستبعد خفض إنتاج "أوبك"
The Kuwaiti minister of oil rules out the possibility that OPEC will decrease oil production.
إيران: على واشنطن الرحيل من الخليج
Tehran asserts that Washington has to leave the Gulf.
تميم يدعو القادة الخليجيين إلى الدوحة
The Qatari emir invites the leaders of the Gulf Cooperation Council to attend a summit to be held in Doha next month.
عودة سفراء الخليج إلى قطر
Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, and Bahrain agree to return their ambassadors to Doha eight months after withdrawing them.
الإمارات تدرج "الاخوان المسلمين" على لائحة المنظمات الإرهابية
The United Arab Emirates added the Muslim Brotherhood to its terrorist list.
قطر: قانون جديد لحماية العمال الأجانب
Qatar drafts a new law to protect migrant workers.