MUST-READS

• Labor Reform
  Labor visa limitations pose challenge for contractors

  Omar Al-Juraifani, CEO of Esad Manpower Company, pointed out: “The solution to the labor crisis is that companies should focus on their specialization; for instance construction companies shouldn’t do logistics.” “Foreign companies need to understand that the regulations are constantly evolving,” Al-Juraifani said, adding, “New laws are being introduced by the end of this year, which will give more rights to employees, wages protection, environmental and safety regulations.”

• Saudi-Iraq
  Saudi Arabia and Iraq to halt media attacks on each other

  Sources in both countries confirmed that relations were on the path of improvement as the countries were seeking reopening embassies, monitoring their international borders to stop infiltration and resuming work on security agreements which were all but suspended under the administration of former Prime Minister Noori al-Maliki.

• Yemen
  The Huthi Ascent to Power

  The Huthi movement defies easy definition;  it has changed dramatically in its short history and is subject to intense negative propaganda.  The Huthi movement’s origins lie in the Shabab al-Mumanin (the Believing Youth), which began in the early 1990s as a summer school program using modern means—videos and cassette recordings—to promote Zaydism among the literate youth of the north who had largely forgotten their ancestors’ religion.

• Afghanistan
  Afghan official says the government has nearly run out of money, needs U.S. bailout

  Afghanistan’s central government is nearly broke and needs a $537 million bailout from the United States and other international donors within “five or six days” to continue paying its bills, a senior Afghan finance official said Tuesday. Crippled by a growing budget shortfall, the Afghan government has spent hundreds of millions of dollars of easily accessible reserve funds this year, said Alhaj M. Aqa, the director general of the treasury at the Finance Ministry.

• Anti-ISIS Coalition
  US-Israel Accord to Support Coordinated Air Ops in Syria

  The official underscored that while Israel principally supports Obama’s call for a united front against IS and all forms of radical terror, Israel’s primary concern is preventing Assad’s strategic arsenal from reaching the hands of Hezbollah allies fighting on behalf of the Syrian regime

• Public Health
  Saudi MOH Announces a MERS Case In Riyadh

  For the second day running, and the fifth case reported over the past 9 days, the Saudi MOH has announced a fresh MERS case, this time in Riyadh  which last reported a case 4 days ago (Sept 12th).  Essentially all we know is the patient is a 39 year old male, Ex-Pat who is not a HCW, and who is in intensive care. With the Hajj set to begin in just over two weeks, and with that the influx of more than 2 million pilgrims to the Kingdom, this recent uptick in cases is of particular concern.

• Israel and Nuclear Weapons
  Israel’s Worst-Kept Secret

  The policy of never publicly confirming what a scholar once called one of the world’s “worst-kept secrets” dates from a political deal between the United States and Israel in the late 1960s. Its consequence has been to help Israel maintain a distinctive military posture in the Middle East while avoiding the scrutiny—and occasional disapprobation—applied to the world’s eight acknowledged nuclear powers.

• Intra-GCC Trade
  Saudi diversifies to increase intra-GCC trade

  A report by ICAEW revealed that although Saudi Arabia is the Middle East's largest goods exporter, accounting for a third of total goods exported in 2013, about 95 percent of these were destined for nations outside of the region. The planned GCC Railway, a 2,177 km project linking the networks of the six GCC countries, represents the most ambitious aspect of the region's railway infrastructure plans.

  • Al Arabiya - Saudi, UAE and Egypt in focus at investment talks
• Hotels
  Hospitality sector sees fast growth

  He further explained that over 77 percent of the hospitality investment in the Kingdom is in the two holy cities of Makkah and Madinah. This is expected to rise in addition to increased investments in hotels, particularly the three-star category, resorts and upscale furnished apartments in other major cities of the Kingdom in the future.

• U.S.-Afghanistan
  The Only Choice Left for Afghanistan

  In effect, the U.S. administration has indicated that unless Afghan presidential candidates Abdullah Abdullah and Ashraf Ghani adhere to the national unity framework they agreed to in July, the sine qua non U.S. financial assistance to Afghanistan will come to an abrupt halt. Thus far, the Afghan political process remains at an impasse, with both sides claiming victory. But Obama's litmus test for support is leaving them with little choice but to accept this accommodation. As such, it appears as if the only choice left is for the candidates to agree to a power-sharing interim government that adheres to Obama's doctrine.

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