Human rights groups accused a parliamentary committee of a whitewash yesterday after it failed to take the government to task over double standards in its dealings with the Saudi and Bahraini regimes.
In a report yesterday the foreign affairs committee conceded that the government has an apparent credibility problem over the way it balances human rights issues with its business and political dealings in Saudi Arabia.
And charges of hypocrisy over its dealings with the regime could no longer be ignored, it said.
Tehran retaliates with attacks on Israel, the Gulf Arab states and crude oil flows
MOHAMMAD OMIDVAR, a senior figure in the Tudeh Party of Iran, tells the Morning Star that mass protests are rooted in poverty, corruption and neoliberal rule and warns against monarchist revival and US-engineered regime change
As Saudi Arabia is hailed abroad for its ‘reforms,’ the reality for women inside the kingdom grows ever more repressive. On the International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women, MARYAM ALDOSSARI argues it is time to stop applauding the illusion – and start listening to the women the state works hardest to silence
Despite internal pressure over the Gaza genocide, Narendra Modi’s government has deepened relations with Tel Aviv. ROGER McKENZIE explores the geopolitics behind these strengthening links



