These are the headlines we are tracking for you in this episode of On the News Line:
UK training despotic regimes
Despotic Arab monarchies in the Middle East have over the past couple of years been using various tactics to crush popular uprisings and the growing voices of discontent. In Bahrain, the ruling Al-Khalifah has spared no effort to crack down on anti-government protests which began in 2011. Prominent rights group Amnesty International has recently issued a report documenting how Manama arrested, tortured, threatened or banned from travel hundreds of activists and opponents or their relatives. Saudi Arabia is another absolute monarchy in the Persian Gulf region with abysmal human rights record. Riyadh has brutally suppressed those who criticize the Saudi royals’ policies with many of them facing execution or long-term prison terms. And that’s the tip of the iceberg when one looks at the kingdom’s long list of human rights violations.
Venezuela solidarity conference
It was a strong show of support for Venezuela. On Saturday, around 200 delegates from countries and international organizations in five continents gathered in a summit in Caracas to express solidarity with the people of Venezuela. This is expected to help bring stability to a country that has seen waves of street protests for many months. A political and social expression of support is particularly helpful given that many believe the unrest that has already pushed Venezuela to the brinks was instigated by outside powers, particularly the United States.