Jordan has asked the United States to deploy Patriot anti-missile batteries to its border with Syria, unnamed Jordanian sources said, Asharq al-Awsat reported April 19.

Prominent Kuwaiti opposition leader Mussallam al-Barrak, a former lawmaker, has been jailed for five years for insulting Emir Sheikh Sabah al-Ahmad al-Jaber al-Sabah, the BBC reported April 15.

Kuwaiti police used stun grenades and smoke to disperse protesters in the capital Jan. 22, Reuters reported.

Two members of Kuwait's ruling Al-Sabah family have been arrested for posts to Twitter criticizing the government and supporting the opposition, AFP reported Nov. 9, citing the Kuwait Human Rights News Center and a lawyer.

Kuwait's Interior Ministry may call in the army and national guard to stop a march by the opposition set for Nov. 4, security sources said Nov. 3, AFP reported, citing Kuwaiti newspaper Al-Anbaa.

Kuwait's opposition groups have called for a protest march Oct. 21 to denounce the Dec. 1 parliamentary elections and amendments to the electoral constituency law, Al Jazeera reported.

Kuwaiti Emir Sheikh Sabah al-Ahmad al-Jaber al-Sabah on Oct. 20 set parliamentary elections for Dec. 1 in an attempt to ease political turmoil, AP reported.

Kuwaiti Emir Sheikh Sabah al-Ahmad al-Jaber al-Sabah said in an Oct. 19 nationwide address that he has ordered partial changes to Kuwait's electoral system, which he called deficient, Reuters reported.

Kuwait's public prosecutor on Oct. 19 ordered the detention of three former opposition lawmakers for three days, and more arrests are expected, AFP reported.