MUST-READS

• Bowe Bergdahl
  Army: Bergdahl could face court-martial

  At the crux of the case is a question of intent: When Bergdahl left his base that night, was he going temporarily AWOL, or was he a intending to desert his unit permanently? A determination that he was a deserter would result in a far more severe punishment. A prior investigation of Bergdahl's disappearance — conducted in 2009 long before his return — found that some members of his unit believed Bergdahl left his patrol base alone at night at least once before and returned safely.

• Palestinian Peace Plan
  Palestinian draft peace plan put before UN Security Council

  A draft resolution setting out a Palestinian timetable for a peace deal with Israel has been submitted to the UN Security Council. The document, presented by Jordan, calls for a deal within one year and Israeli withdrawal from occupied territories by the end of 2017.

• Veil Debate
  A Tweet On Women’s Veils, Followed By Raging Debate In Saudi Arabia

  But the Twitter debate then erupted again, challenging the interpretation of the highest religious authority in the kingdom.

  • Al-Arabiya - Why did Saudi Arabia’s Sheikh Ghamidi succeed?
  • CNN - Saudi cleric stirs controversy on face veil
• Pakistani Taliban
  Pakistan mourns after Taliban Peshawar school massacre

  The Pakistani city of Peshawar is burying its dead after a Taliban attack at a school killed at least 132 children and nine staff. New images from the school show the brutality of the attack, with pools of blood on the ground and walls covered in pockmarks from hundreds of bullets.

  • Bloomberg - How Will the Taliban's Attack Impact the United States?
  • Washington Post - Why the Pakistani Taliban’s war on children keeps on going
  • Reuters - Taliban Launches Attacks Along Afghanistan-Pakistan Border
  • Long War Journal - The Peshawar attack: sickening, but no surprise
  • The Atlantic - Pakistan's Blackest Day
• Cars
  Saudi Arabia’s car market: A regional hub in the making

  The current sales’ figures range from 600,000 to 820,000 cars per year. At current rates of 11 percent annual growth, the million-car mark is likely to be achieved within two years.

• Aramco-Exxon
  Saudi Aramco-ExxonMobil refining joint venture completes desulphurisation project

  The SAMREF partnership, which is celebrating 30 years of joint refining operations, demonstrates the long-term collaboration and progress towards meeting the energy needs of Saudi Arabia’s growing economy.

• Tadawul Opening
  Saudi Stock Market to Open to Foreigners as Planned

  Saudi Arabia said it’s on track to open the Arab world’s biggest stock market to foreigners in the first half of the year, confirming no change of policy since a new monarch ascended to the throne following King Abdullah’s death.

• King Salman bin Abdulaziz
  Who is the new Saudi king, Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud?

  He is also respected for his 48-year record as governor of the capital, Riyadah, during which time the city’s population ballooned from 200,000 to 7 million. Commenting on his record as governor, Bruce Riedel, senior fellow and director of the Brookings Intelligence Project, said: “Salman presided over this remarkable transformation with a record for good governance and a lack of corruption.” As governor, he also quietly dealt with the discipline of younger royals when they erred.

  • Daily Beast - The Next King of the Saudis: Salman, the Family Sheriff
  • Business Insider - Here's Everything We Know About The New Saudi King
• State of the Union
  Terrorism, cybersecurity likely to supersede military topics in State of the Union

  The White House has been dropping hints in recent days about which issues will be included in the annual speech to the nation, and the president appears poised to focus on cybersecurity, terrorism and domestic civilian issues such as broadband Internet service, paid leave for federal workers and community college tuition.

  • Washington Post - Obama will give State of Union address against backdrop of deep partisan divide
• Saudi Government Spending
  Citi analyst predicts Saudi Arabia will cut state spending after oil price fall

  But given the threat from falling oil prices, Mr Soussa said the government needed to broaden its revenue base, via means such as more taxation, rationalisation of social spending and wages, as well as transferring the onus of economic growth on to the private sector.

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