[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
Lockheed Martin, Boeing Rally Around Saudi Arabia, Wave off Humanitarian Concerns Lee Fang says that representatives from two major defense contractors whose advanced weaponry is being used in the Saudi-led bombing campaign in Yemen were quick to defend the human rights record of the kingdom.
Anger at Cameron’s £100,000 trip to honour dead Saudi king
Environmental and human rights groups express outrage that UK taxpayers spent more than £100,000 for David Cameron trip to Saudi Arabia to pay his respects following the death of King Abdullah in January.
Iran and Saudi Arabia ramp up hostile rhetoric to new levels
Ian Black argues that Riyadh and Tehran have thrown diplomatic niceties to the wind and are attacking each other without restraint over Syria and Yemen.
Iran returns Saudi accusations of cross-border meddling
Iran rejects criticism from Saudi Arabia about Tehran’s intervention in unstable countries in the Middle East.
Saudi says difficult to see role for Iran in Syria peacemaking
The Saudi foreign minister says that Iran’s military role in Syria prevents it from playing a role in peacemaking efforts in the conflict.
Ex-PM of Qatar to invoke diplomatic immunity in UK torture case
A former Qatari prime minister is attempting to use his UK diplomatic immunity to halt a court case in London where he is accused of torturing a British citizen.
Saudi foreign minister says Russian actions in Syria "very dangerous"
The Saudi foreign minister condemns Russia’s intervention in Syria.
Qatar says could intervene militarily in Syria but prefers political solution
The Qatari foreign minister suggests that Qatar could intervene militarily following Russia’s intervention in support of the Syrian president.
Oil prices slip on Chinese demand concerns, weak Saudi exports
Oil prices fell last week due to concerns about the pace of economic growth in China, and signs that global oversupply is curbing Saudi crude exports.
US 'clock boy' Ahmed Mohamed to move to Qatar Ahmed Mohamed, the fourteen-year old boy from Texas whose teacher mistook his homemade clock for a bomb, will move to Qatar with his family.
Reports and Opinions
Saudi court upholds death sentence for Shi'ite cleric
Saudi Arabia’s Supreme Court rejected an appeal against the death sentence passed this year on Sheikh Nimr al-Nimr.
U.S. Ally Saudi Arabia Prepares to Behead, Crucify Pro-Democracy Protester Ali Mohammed al-Nimr
Amy Goodman and Nermeen Shaikh interview Clive Stafford Smith on Ali Mohammed al-Nimr’s imminent execution.
2015 hajj stampede deadliest ever as foreign governments put toll at 1,849
A news report on the latest death toll from the Hajj stampede.
Saudi prince avoids charges over alleged sex assaults in LA
Los Angeles prosecutors say that they will not press charges against a Saudi prince accused of sexual assault.
Bahrain charges 24 with trying to set up Islamic State branch in kingdom
Twenty-four people face trial in Bahrain for trying to set up a branch of the Islamic State.
Repression in Bahrain
Bahrain's Shi'ite clerics criticize removal of Ashura flags
Senior Shi‘i Bahraini clerics criticized the removal of Ashura banners raised to commemorate the anniversary of the death of Prophet Mohammad’s grandson.
Crisis in Yemen
Yemen is shattered and peace seems a long way off. The world can’t just watch on
Farea Al-Muslimi and Rafat Al-Akhali assert that the continued conflict in Yemen has led to the death of thousands and is feeding the Islamic State and al-Qa‘ida.
Several Yemeni fishermen killed in Saudi-led strikes: witnesses
At least forty people, including several fishermen, died when Saudi-led coalition strikes hit two Yemeni islands on the Red Sea.
U.N. plans Yemen peace talks soon, warns of aid obstruction
The United Nations envoy to Yemen was arranging face-to-face negotiations between the Yemeni government and Houthi rebels but warned of a “disastrous humanitarian situation” that has left most of the country in dire need.
Heavy fighting breaks out in Yemen's Taiz city, ICRC says situation 'dire’
At least twenty Houthi fighters died in heavy clashes in Taiz.
Rockets fired by Houthis kill 14 civilians in Yemen: medical sources
Fourteen civilians died in Taiz when shells fired by Houthis and their allies fell on their neighborhoods.
Sectarian hate takes root as Yemen anti-Houthi forces push on Sanaa
Angus McDowall examines sectarian tension in Yemen.
Drone crashes in Yemeni province of Marib, witnesses, local official say
An unmanned drone crashed in the Wadi Abida area of Marib last week.
Migrant Workers
The vanished: the Filipino domestic workers who disappear behind closed doors
Annie Kelly and Hazel Thompson report on Marilyn Restor, who left her family in the Philippines to work for a member of the Saudi ruling family but never returned.
Human Rights
Saudi Arabia Must Not Execute Ali Mohammed Baqir al-Nimr Amnesty International has circulated a petition calling on the Saudi regime not to execute Ali Mohammed al-Nimr.
With the Saudis, the West Should Take No Prisoners
Human Rights Watch’s Adam Coogle reports on Saudi Arabia’s dismal human rights record.
Yemen: Houthis Shell Civilians in Southern City
Human Rights Watch expresses concern over the Houthis’ shelling of neighborhoods in Taiz.
Bahrain: On her birthday, Zainab Al-Khawaja sentenced to one-year in prison on appeal, other cases postponed
The Gulf Center for Human Rights reports on the possibility of Bahraini authorities taking Zainab al-Khawaja into custody to serve her jail sentence.
Saudi Arabia: Human rights defender Dr. Abdulkarim Al-Khodr sentenced to 10 years in prison
The Gulf Center for Human Rights condemns the Saudi authorities’ decision to sentence Abdulkarim al-Khodar to ten years in prison.
