MUST-READS

• Afghanistan's Opium
  Afghanistan’s Opium Trade Is at an All-Time High

  Among the long-term goals of the U.S-led coalition in Afghanistan was helping the war-torn underdeveloped country kick its economic dependency on the cultivation of poppies for the world’s illegal opium markets. But after various agencies spent $7.6 billion over more than a decade on counternarcotics efforts, opium poppy cultivation levels in Afghanistan hit an all-time high in 2013, according to a report released Tuesday by the Special Inspector General for Afghanistan Reconstruction.

• Chevron
  Saudi Arabia, Kuwait shared zone tensions underlie oilfield closure

  Saudi Arabia's closure of an offshore oilfield it shares with Kuwait has revived speculation of renewed tensions between the two, and put Chevron's role in the shared Neutral Zone in focus.

• Arab Jihadis
  The Arab World’s Foreign Fighter Problem

  The security services of many Arab states are excellent. Indeed, there is a Darwinian aspect to this: countries that lack strong security services often fall victim to a coup or rebellion. Yet a closer look reveals how uneven this competence is. Jordan and Saudi Arabia have impressive services, but Lebanon, Libya, Tunisia, and several other states have services that are far less skilled. Several of these countries already have a problem with jihadist violence, and there is little reason to think they have the capacity to closely track the volunteers to Iraq and Syria. Even some of the countries like Egypt that have strong services are more focused on domestic threats like the Muslim Brotherhood than on the potential threat from returning foreign fighters.

  • BBC - The US volunteers who fight with Syria's Kurds
• Qatar Case
  Final Ruling Set for US Couple Convicted in Qatar

  An American couple convicted in Qatar of child endangerment will receive a final verdict on their appeal on November 30, a Qatari judge announced on Monday. Matthew and Grace Huang of Los Angeles were originally jailed on murder charges following the January 2013 death of their adopted daughter Gloria. They were released from prison last November, but banned from leaving during the trial. In March, the court sentenced them to three years in prison for child endangerment.

• 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
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