MUST-READS

• ISIS in Syria
  Syria tribal revolt against Islamic State ignored, fueling resentment

  The little-publicized story of this failed tribal revolt in Abu Hamam, in Syria’s eastern Deir al-Zour province, illuminates the challenges that will confront efforts to persuade those living under Islamic State rule — in Iraq as well as Syria — to join the fight against the jihadist group, something U.S. officials say is essential if the campaign against the militants is to succeed.

• GCC Salaries
  Happy 2015: Salaries across GCC on the rise

  The data, based on the forecasts of over 1,600 organizations representing one million employees in GCC countries, shows an average budgeted increase of 5 percent. Employees in all GCC countries will receive pay rises ahead of inflation in 2015 meaning a real increase in purchasing power. Hay Group reports that salary movements have been steady for the last five years and predicts the trend will continue in 2015

• MERS
  Saudi MOH Announces 2 More MERS Cases

  Roughly six weeks ago, after a relatively quiet July and August, we began to see a slow uptick in the number of MERS-CoV infections being reported out of Saudi Arabia.  While the numbers remain modest – even compared to the same time last year – the clustering in Taif east of  Mecca prior to the Hajj is concerning.

• Northrop Grumman Student Training
  Saudi students complete training program in US

  Four Saudis and one student from the United Arab Emirates have just completed the 2014 Global Externship Program under the Northrop Grumman Corporation and University of Maryland in Baltimore County in the United States. “The program gives international students exposure to career fields in cyber, program management and computer engineering,” Walid Abukhaled, Northrop Grumman Saudi Arabia chief executive officer, said.

• Hajj Data
  Saudi Arabia has hosted 25 million hajj pilgrims in 10 years

  Saudi Arabia hosted 24.8 million pilgrims from all over the world over the past 10 years.

• Sheikh Nimr al-Nimr
  Saudi Cleric’s Death Sentence Focuses Shia Anger On Ruling Family

  Protests broke out in Saudi Arabia this week over the death sentence of a leading Shiite cleric. Human rights activists call his sentencing political and warn that by killing him, the country may deepen sectarian discord and spur more violence.

  • Al-Bawaba - Saudi officials arrest Sunni cleric
• Lebanon
  The politics of Lebanon: The state that didn’t fail—yet

  Lebanon is, like other Arab states, a sectarian patchwork. Its Sunnis share the fury of their Syrian co-religionists against the regime of President Bashar Assad; and its Shia share the fears of the minorities that support Syria’s government. Yet Lebanon did not fall into the abyss when Hizbullah, the Shia party-cum-militia, entered the war to prop up Mr Assad. It survived when Syria’s mainly Sunni rebels used northern Lebanon as a transit route for their arms. It has kept going despite the influx of more than 1m Syrian refugees, now a fifth of the total population.

• Yemen
  Why Houthi victories in Yemen make Saudi Arabia nervous

  It’s the House of Saud’s worse nightmare come true. The stunning success of the Zaydi Houthi rebellion in Yemen places a Shiite group with connections to Iran on the soft underbelly of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, erasing years of Saudi efforts to stabilize Yemen and keep it in the Saudi orbit.

• Iran Negotiations
  U.S., E.U. hold grueling talks with Iran about its nuclear program

  A grueling day of talks Wednesday between senior American, Iranian and European diplomats produced no breakthrough agreement on curbing Iran’s nuclear program, but officials said they still aim to reach a deal by the Nov. 24 deadline.

  • New York Times - ‘Substantial Work’ Said to Remain in Iran Nuclear Talks
• e-Payments
  3 ways bitcoin can make a difference for entrepreneurs in the Arab world

  Paying, and getting paid, especially internationally, is a hassle in the Arab world. At best, entrepreneurs have to pay a fortune to wire money through their national bank system, or through PayPal (even though it's less expensive).

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