New Kuwait media law is a step backwards
On 24 April, Kuwait’s prime minister, Sheikh Jaber Al-Mubarak Al-Hamad Al-Sabah, met some of the country’s leading editors, and – following a “candid, frank and expanded meeting” (in the words of state news agency Kuna) – put the brakes on a controversial media law, which in its current state would seriously undermine press freedom.
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A dozen bombs? It’s a good day in Iraq
On 20 April, Iraq held its first countrywide elections since the withdrawal of US troops in late 2011. The vote for provincial councils, widely touted as a litmus test for Prime Minister Nouri Al-Maliki ahead of parliamentary elections in 2014, was seen also as a test of how well Iraq’s political institutions and security forces could handle nationwide polls.
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Understanding Al-Saud genealogy as important as ever in Saudi history
Any discussion of Saudi politics and business quickly turns to questions about the influence of Al-Saud princes and other key players in the royal pecking order, and who will succeed King Abdullah Bin Abdelaziz.
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