MUST-READS

• Syrian Aid
  U.N.’s Fear of Angering Assad Leaves Gap in Syria Aid Effort

  U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon recently acknowledged that food has been delivered across Syria’s borders to rebel-held communities to only 208,000 people, medical supplies to just 250,000, and water and sanitation equipment to as few as 86,000. At the same time, the ranks of Syria’s displaced have continued to swell throughout the country: A stunning 12.2 million Syrians are now in need of humanitarian aid, 2.9 million more than just 10 months ago, according to U.N. estimates.

• Pakistan
  After years of delays, Pakistan cracks down on violent Islamists

  After pledging for years to crack down on violent Islamists, Pakistani authorities are now taking exceptional steps to do so, with a major military operation against the militants and a vow to rein in radical propaganda. The government’s campaign has intensified in the wake of a massacre at an elite army-run school in Peshawar this month, reflecting a striking change in public opinion about the danger posed by the extremist groups.

• Tourism
  Saudi Arabia could issue tourism visas

  Although investors and businessmen in the tourism field are pushing for tourism visa, procedures for its issuance will be clarified by the SCTA in the coming weeks.

• Women
  Female Saudi fan red-carded for entering men-only stadium

  A female fan who disguised herself to infiltrate the male-only domain of a football stadium in Saudi Arabia has been red-carded, a police statement obtained on Sunday says.

• Afghanistan
  Afghan air force ascent slow, imperiling battle with Taliban

  With new planes capable of engaging Taliban insurgents delayed by over two years, and NATO air missions backing up troops on the ground now at a minimum, the fledgling Afghan Air Force is scrambling to provide even basic support.

• Women in Saudi Arabia
  Growing number of Saudi single women challenge tradition

  Education is also changing women’s attitudes toward marriage and giving them more confidence, said Hatoon Al-Fassi, a professor of women’s history in Saudi Arabia. “You can no longer control these attitudes,” she says. Some Saudi women are also challenging the rules on how to meet a prospective husband as they navigate through tradition and customs.

• Yemen
  Yemen: Shia Houthis seize president’s chief of staff

  The Houthis said they abducted him to prevent a UN-brokered deal between them and the presidency being broken.

• Bank Earnings
  Saudi banking giant posts sixth straight drop in quarterly profit

  Saudi lenders are facing strong headwinds as net interest income comes under pressure from weakening loan growth and fierce competition, especially in the retail market. Analysts also warn that a prolonged slump in oil prices could dent confidence in the banking sector.

• Al-Qaeda in Lebanon
  Syrian group Al Nusra Front claims responsibility for Lebanon bombing

  The Syrian Al Qaeda-linked rebel group Al Nusra Front claimed responsibility for a suicide bombing at a cafe in the northern Lebanese city of Tripoli on Saturday that left nine dead and more than three dozen injured, according to the National News Agency, the latest violence to spill over from the four-year Syrian civil war.

• Gulf Stock Markets
  Gulf stocks facing some serious ‘downward pressures’

  All seven Gulf bourses have been down since the start of the year as investor confidence is dented by the slide in oil prices.

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