[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
Saudi central bank asks banks to reschedule property loans as austerity bites Austerity measures reduce the income of many Saudi citizens, making it harder to service their loans.
Saudi Bond Sale Spurs Gulf Borrowing to Record With More to Come Bond sales from the GCC have tripled after Saudi Arabia’s record issue.
Kuwait still looking to issue $9.9 bln international bonds, official says“Like other Gulf Arab states, Kuwait is turning to debt capital markets to raise money as oil prices remain at less than half their levels two years ago.”
How Oman aims to become a tourist hub As oil prices plunged, Oman was forced to cut subsidies and raise taxes, fuel prices, and visa fees.
Two police officers shot dead in eastern Saudi Arabia Unidentified gunmen shot two Saudi policemen in Dammam, a city in eastern Saudi Arabia.
Kuwait admits it needs to do more against Daesh funding A meeting held in Kuwait aims to develop and coordinate countermeasures against IS global financial activity.
Qatar officials spend lavishly on Obamas in 2015 Qatar spent more than $303,224 on thirty-nine gifts to US leaders in 2015.
Oman needs to slash spending by 35%: International Monetary Fund Muscat will have to make major decisions in the near future to contain the soaring deficit.
Advice for the vice squad Saudi Arabia is trying to place limits on its vice squads in an attempt to rebrand its image, but driving cars for Saudi women is still illegal.
The Obama administration rewards repression in Bahrain The regime continues its repression of opposition figures and human rights activists.
Yemen's Houthis launch missile toward Saudi holy city, coalition says According to Houthi rebels, the launch of a Burkan-1 ballistic missile into Saudi Arabia had been aimed at King Abdulaziz International Airport in Jeddah and not at Mecca.
At Hillary Clinton’s Favorite Think Tank, a Doubling Down on Anti-Iran, Pro-Saudi Policy“The event, titled “Strengthening U.S. Partnerships in the Middle East,” argued for what is essentially a supercharged anti-Iran, pro-Saudi posture.”
Labour MPs face backlash over failure to vote on Yemen campaign Jeremy Corbyn’s Labour Party MPs abstained from a vote to halt arms sales to Saudi Arabia.
Bahraini Official Belittles Bahrainis Suffering under Diraz Siege, Sends them Complementary Girl Model Picture The incident shows the callous disregard of officials for those impacted by the four-month siege.
OPEC officials fail to agree on how to curb oil supplies Iran is still reluctant to freeze its output.
Reports and Opinions
Why is the US helping Saudi Arabia target Yemen’s future? Saudi Arabia’s economic warfare against Yemen has produced a humanitarian catastrophe in one of the poorest Arab countries.
Many Aramco staff tender resignations Changes in payments led many employees at Saudi Aramco to submit their resignations.
New Texts Out Now: Mostafa Minawi, The Ottoman Scramble for Africa: Empire and Diplomacy in the Sahara and the Hijaz Mostafa Minawi: “This is the first book to tell the story of the Ottoman Empire’s expansionist efforts during the age of High Imperialism.”
Does the UAE Fund France's Far-Right National Front? An in-depth report by French investigative journal Mediapart has revealed that France's Marine Le Pen is seeking money from the United Arab Emirates.
War pushes Yemen to partition, thwarting peace efforts According to this report by Reuters, the conflict has potentially made partition a de facto reality.
Islamic State takes control of half Iraqi town near Jordan-Syria border IS fighters raided the town of Rutba in an effort to relieve pressure on Mosul.
WikiLeaks: US Embassy's Report on Ashura Chest-Beating, Bloodletting and Mourning Processions in Manama The US Embassy in Manama went to learn about the Shi‘a religious holiday of ‘Ashura, cables reveal.
After Saudi Minister, Bahraini Official Mocks #Al-Sisi’s Fridge A Bahraini official has ridiculed the Egyptian President on Twitter.
Crisis in Yemen
Saudi-led raid kills 60 at Yemen security site, prison, official says An air raid by the Saudi-led coalition targeted a prison and killed sixty people near the city of Hodeidah.
ITV News sees evidence British-made cluster bombs used in Yemen attacks A partly exploded BL-755 British-made cluster weapon is evidence that the Saudi-led coalition is using them in Yemen.
Air strike kills 17 in Yemen, exiled president rejects peace plan Saudi-led coalition targeted a house in Taiz, killing at least seventeen civilians.
Yemen: Dozens killed in Saudi-led coalition air raids A prison building in the port city of Hodeidah was bombed by Saudi-led coalition and left at least sixty people killed and many injured.
Famine looms in Yemen, as U.S.-backed Saudi bombing intentionally targets food production“Saudi forces backed by the United States are intentionally targeting food production and the agricultural sector in their bombing campaign in Yemen.”
Yemen food crisis leaves millions at risk of starving The Saudi war and blockade on Yemen has led the World Food Programme to struggle to cope with the demand of millions of malnourished Yemenis.
Bomb-laden car explodes near central bank in Yemen's Aden It is the first attempt to target the central bank since President Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi's decision to move the central bank headquarters from the capital Sanaa.
More than one million children starve as Yemen war rages: U.N. agencies“Around 1.5 million children in Yemen are malnourished and half the population lives in hunger, United Nations aid agencies said on Friday.”
Yemen's suspected cholera cases soar to 1,410 within weeks: WHO In addition to the cholera threat, UNICEF says over seven million children in need of medical aid and almost four hundred thousand are at risk of severe malnutrition.
Human Rights
Bahrain prevents family of dissident from flying to London to join him The regime’s collective punishment measures targeted the family of Sayed Ahmed Alwadaei, director at the Bahrain Institute for Rights.
Family of Activist Who Jumped on Bahrain King's Car Targeted A Bahraini human rights activist said his wife was beaten and detained for hours in Bahrain.
Bahrain activist's trial postponed to December 15: rights group Nabeel Rajab’s trial has been postponed for the fourth time.
Washington: We Reject Charges Against Nabeel Rajab, Demand his Release The US State Department said it rejects all charges against rights activist Nabeel Rajab, adding that it is following his case very closely.
“Our ray of light” – my husband, a jailed activist in Saudi Arabia Mohammad al-Qahtani, a co-founder of the Saudi Civil and Political Rights Association, is serving a 10-year prison sentence for his peaceful activism.
Oman: “Al-Balad” says farewell to readers and stops publishing Al-Balad shows solidarity with “Azamn” newspaper, which has been recently closed by a decision from the Ministry of Information.
Yemen: Freedom of expression suffering greatly during conflict, says new report on media and journalists Journalists are targeted, abducted or killed, and the right to freedom of expression is curtailed, says the new report, “Let Them Speak”.