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Yemen’s little-noticed southern unrest has finally gained some serious recognition with the 15 December publication of a Human Rights Watch report into the brutal reaction of state security services to the mostly peaceful southern protests. The report – In the Name of Unity: The Yemeni Government’s Brutal Response to Southern Movement Protests – documents the heavy-handed suppression of the Southern Movement (Al-Thawra Al-Janoubi) coalition.

Torture trial

Delegates attending the 30th Gulf Co-operation Council summit in Kuwait, which started on 14 December, have said they support Saudi Arabia in its stance against Yemen's Al-Houthi rebels. Kuwaiti Emir Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmed Al-Sabah

The European Community's Development Co-operation Instrument is being

Back in the Kingdom; Military inspection; Return home from Europe, Lebanon; Clinton meeting; Family safety campaign; News Corp deal; Flood comments

The successful second licensing round holds out the promise of huge financial inflows from energy revenues, enabling Iraq to finance its pressing economic and social demands. This could boost Nouri Al-Maliki’s election campaign but, in the short term, there are many political and security hurdles to overcome

The genesis of the crisis, and the confused and opaque manner with which it has been handled, raises questions about the viability of traditional ruling models without the support of sovereign state institutions and accountability. Meanwhile, the delicate balance of Abu Dhabi-Dubai relations has shifted again

Stuart Pearce, Qatar Financial Centre’s chief executive since 2005, has stepped down and been replaced by acting chief

Foreign journalists seem unable to mention the phrase ‘Qatari foreign policy’ without including the adjective ‘maverick’. But there is much more to the peninsula’s unusually prominent role in international relations than mere game-playing. Qatari international relations have long included backchannel diplomacy and high-profile conflict resolution, allowing Doha to become a key regional actor.

The Saudi bombing of targets in Yemen has underlined the potential for the crisis in the poor and populous southern Arabian state to flare into wider conflict (see Risk management report – Saudi Arabia). Escalation of the crisis also poses major problems for opposition forces within the country, who are well aware of President Ali Abdullah Saleh’s ability to turn a political and humanitarian drama to his advantage.

Death

While analysts say the current National Assembly is more serious about policy issues than its predecessor, significant voices have continued a more personalised campaign against prime minister Sheikh Nasser Mohammed Al-Ahmed Al-Jaber Al-Sabah and his government.

Public role

Meetings; New demographic council