[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.]
Reports and Opinions
From football to military might, how Qatar wields global power Jane Kinninmont examines the expansion of Qatar’s international influence, in The Guardian.
Kuwait activist jailed for five years for insulting emir on Twitter A news report on the prison sentence against Mohammad Eid Al Ajami for insulting the emir, in The National.
Saudi King Moves His Son One Step Closer to Throne A news report analyzing the implication of King Abdulla's appointment of Prince Muqrin bin Abdullaziz as a Second Deputy Prime Minister for the question of succession in the kingdom, on Al-Akhbar English.
Slush fund paid for palace in the desert A news report on an investigation held by Britain’s Serious Fraud Office into allegations that BAE Systems bribed Saudi royals to secure an arms deal, in The Sunday Times.
Outrage after Saudi cleric kills daughter A news report on the short prison sentence and the payment of “bloody money” imposed on a religious cleric accused of raping and killing his five-year-old daughter, on Al Jazeera.
Lawyer for Saudi man seeks to suppress evidence in Vegas rape case A news report on Mazen Alotaibi, who is accused of raping a thirteen-year-old boy at a Las Vegas hotel on New Year’s Eve, on Reuters.
Repression in Bahrain
Bahrain policeman jailed for fatal shooting of protester in 2011 A news report on the seven-year sentence of a Bahraini policeman who killed Ali Abdulhadi al-Mushaima, the first protester to die during the Bahraini uprising in 2011, in The Guardian.
Bahrain’s 2-year-old uprising at crossroads: Offers to talk and calls for great rebellion A news report reflecting on the second anniversary of the Bahraini uprising, in The Washington Post.
UK firm faces questions over how spyware ended up in Bahrain Jamie Doward writes on human rights campaigners’ fear that a specialist surveillance software produced by a British company may be used by Bahrain’s security forces to spy on people’s emails, in The Guardian.
Crisis in Yemen
A New Yemeni State Falters Amid Saleh’s Holdouts Nabil Subaye examines the former Yemeni president’s unwavering influence on the country’s political scene, on Al-Akhbar English.
Disappeared Under Yemen’s Saleh, Activist Found Alive Decades Later Nabil Subaye writes on the sudden emergence of the Yemeni leftist activist, Mathar al-Iriani who was imprisoned in a retirement home during the early days of Ali Abdulla Saleh's rule, on Al-Akhbar English.
Intercepted ship ‘carried weapons from Iran’ A news report on Yemeni officials’ confirmation that the ship seized last month off the Yemeni coast carried explosives and surface-to-air missiles sent from Iran to insurgents in northern Yemen, on Al Jazeera English.
Human Rights Watch
UAE: Backsliding on Human Rights The organization’s assessment of the United Arab Emirates’ human rights record in its World Report 2013.
Bahrain: Widespread Suppression, Scant Reforms The organization’s assessment of Bahrain’s human rights record in its World Report 2013.
Saudi Arabia: Sweeping Injustices The organization’s assessment of Saudi Arabia’s human rights record in its World Report 2013.
Migrant Workers
Qatar 2022 World Cup will exploit migrant workers, says report David Conn writes on Human Rights Watch’s warning of the exploitation and abuse of migrant workers in Qatar, in The Guardian.
Dubai woman held on charges of beating maid to death Thamer Al Subaihi writes on the arrest of an Emirati woman on charges of beating her African maid to death, in The National.
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