MUST-READS

• Investment
  Why Foreign investment is elusive for MENA startups

  But why can’t they raise funds while remaining in the Middle East? “In the hierarchy of  Silicon Valley venture firms,” says Nasr, “the focus is generally on the Bay Area first, California second, and the rest of the US after that. Most US VCs don’t have a presence or much awareness outside North America. When you’re investing, one of the most important things is the market; so other than very big markets such as China, India or Brazil, there is not much interest or appetite.”

• MERS
  Three new MERS deaths reported in Saudi Arabia

  Three people in Saudi Arabia have died from Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS) coronavirus and three others have been infected, Makkah daily reported on Sunday.

• Gas
  Kuwait and Saudi in new row over energy: report

  Citing Kuwaiti sources, Al-Rai newspaper said work at the Dorra field had been halted due to differences between the two countries over the routing of the gas they extract.

• Afghanistan
  Afghanistan Going off the Rails as U.S. Withdrawal Speeds Up

  Insurgent attacks have reached the highest levels since 2011, the Afghan army has sustained heavy combat losses and is experiencing high attrition rates, and opium poppy cultivation has more than doubled from its pre-1999 levels when the Taliban ruled the country, potentially undermining the Afghan state's legitimacy even as the nation is experiencing budget shortfalls, the Office of the Special Inspector General for Afghanistan Reconstruction, or SIGAR, said in a quarterly report sent to Congress Thursday.

• Anti-ISIS Campaign
  U.S. military says advisers needed in embattled Iraq province

  The United States needs to expand a limited advise-and-assist mission in Iraq into embattled Anbar province, where some Iraqi forces are isolated and in defensive positions against Islamic State, the top U.S. military officer said on Thursday. But General Martin Dempsey, chairman of the U.S. military's Joint Chiefs of Staff, said Iraq's government must be ready to arm Sunni tribes as a precondition for getting outside advisers into the western Iraqi province.

• Energy Efficiency
  Energy efficient appliances and insulated houses can save power

  Uninsulated buildings, cars and industrial activity consume 90 percent of the energy produced in Saudi Arabia, an expert from the Saudi Energy Efficiency Center (SEEC) said recently.

• Saudi Arabian Airlines
  Playing by the numbers: Saudi Arabian Airlines

  “For sure, the Kingdom’s aviation industry is an awakening Middle East giant and it is important not to underestimate it,” he says. “Overall, Saudia is the third largest carrier in the Middle East behind Emirates and Qatar Airways, and one of the few airlines in the region that has an extensive domestic market. “As part of its privatisation process, there are plans to expand its fleet to meet pent-up demand in the kingdom, and the Saudi national carrier is being upgraded. Clearly Saudia will continue to implement its plan in a very discreet manner, without marketing presence worldwide, with its vision to serve the country’s indigenous population first. The rebuilding of its fleet is also rebuilding the carrier’s market share, particularly in the Middle East – Africa regional market.

• Economic Policy
  No restrictions on foreign investment licenses in Saudi Arabia: SAGIA

  Director of Information and Communication at the Saudi Arabian General Investment Authority (SAGIA) denied that Riyadh intends to limit the number of licenses issued under the system of foreign investment. In comments to the state-owned Saudi Press Agency (SPA), SAGIA Communications Director Nasser Al-Tawayan said that reports that Saudi Arabia aims to limit the number of foreign investment licenses to just 100 per year were “baseless and untrue.” “It is not logical for SAGIA to adopt such a trend since it is incompatible with the basic principles underlying the economic policy of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia which is based on openness, flexibility and the application of the concept of the free market in general,” he said.

• Real Estate
  Barclays sued by Saudi developer for $10 billion

  A Saudi real estate company has sued Barclays for $10 billion (6.24 billion pounds), claiming the bank ceased pursuing lease payments due from the Saudi government on military complexes in the kingdom in order to obtain a lucrative banking license there.

• Tunisian Elections
  Secularist Nidaa Tounes party wins Tunisia election

  Tunisia's secularist party Nidaa Tounes has won 85 seats in the country's parliament following Sunday's elections, official results show. The governing Islamist Ennahda party won 69 seats in the 217-seat chamber. The official results confirm earlier predictions and Ennahda officials have already urged Nidaa Tounes to form an inclusive government.

  • Bloomberg - Opinion: Tunisia Needs an Economic Revolution
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