After Homs massacre, protests erupt on several continents

A wave of protests broke out at Syrian embassies on several continents amid reports of hundreds of deaths in one Syrian city and hours before a possible U.N. Security Council vote on a response to the violent crackdown in the country. Here’s a breakdown of some of the demonstrations Friday and Saturday: (more…)

West readies oil plan in case of Iran crisis, Reuters report

Western powers this week readied a contingency plan to tap a record volume from emergency stockpiles to replace nearly all the Gulf oil that would be lost if Iran blocks the Strait of Hormuz, industry sources and diplomats told Reuters.

They said senior executives of the International Energy Agency (IEA), which advises 28 oil consuming countries, discussed on Thursday an existing plan to release up to 14 million barrels per day (bpd) of government-owned oil stored in the United States, Europe, Japan and other importers. (more…)

Citizens of Arabian Gulf have been urged to leave Syria

The Saudi Kingdom urged its citizens on Tuesday to leave Syria as soon as possible to avoid getting caught in a government crackdown on popular protests, the Saudi Press Agency reported.

The Saudi foreign ministry Tuesday urged its citizens to leave Syria and not to travel to the Arab nation (more…)

Kuwait rally demands PM quit over ‘corruption scandal’

Thousands of Kuwaiti protesters called on Wednesday for the resignation of the prime minister and the government over an alleged corruption scandal involving several MPs. (more…)

Kuwaitis demand expulsion of Syrian envoy

More than 2,000 Kuwaitis have rallied outside the Syrian embassy in the Gulf state demanding the expulsion of the Syrian envoy and the “freezing” of relations with Damascus. (more…)

Al-Arabiya: Protest in Kuwait against the crackdown in Syria

Al-Arabiya TV reported that Kuwaiti security forces are surrounding the Syrian Embassy in Kuwait to protect it from protesters who are demonstrating in support of the pro-democracy protests in Syria and against the brutal crackdown by the forces of Syrian president Bashar al Assad (more…)

Kuwait seizes Iraq airline assets in Jordan

Kuwait has seized assets of Iraq’s national airline in Jordan, Iraqi officials said on Saturday, the latest step in a row between the neighbouring states over war reparations. (more…)

Tension up as second Iranian flotilla to Bahrain is blocked

Iranian supporters of Shiite dissidents in Bahrain saw their second flotilla in less than a month turned back from the Persian Gulf kingdom Monday.

The 120 people aboard the two-ship “flotilla of solidarity” included a mix of workers, athletes, lawmakers, physicians and nurses, according to the semi-official Iranian Mehr News Agency. (more…)

Kuwaiti MPs call for severing ties with Syria

Al-Jazeera has reported that 25 Kuwaiti MPs , mostly from the opposition have demanded the expulsion of the Syrian ambassador to Kuwait and the severing of diplomatic ties with Damascus.

Major General Bassam Abdel Majeed ( pictured) is the current Syrian ambassador to Kuwait. (more…)

Syria withdraws from UN rights council vote for a seat

Syria on Wednesday officially withdrew from a vote for a seat on the UN Human Rights Council, under mounting international pressure over its deadly crackdown on opposition protesters, diplomats said. (more…)