MUST-READS

• Contracting
  Saudi builder Khodari hires advisor for $133m rights issue

  Saudi Arabia's Abdullah Abdul Mohsin al-Khodari and Sons has appointed GIB Capital to manage its proposed 500 million riyal ($133.2 million) capital hike, it said in a statement on Sunday.

• Labor
  Making the private sector attractive for Saudis

  The Ministry of Labor is looking into the possibility of creating an attractive work environment for Saudis in the private sector, similar to the government sector with regard to wages, working hours and two-day weekends with the aim to discourage them from changing jobs frequently.

• Anti-ISIS Strategy
  Could Hagel resignation signal shift in US strategy against Islamic State? (+video)

  “There is no connection between the secretary’s resignation announced yesterday and the strategy that we’re pursuing against ISIL in Iraq and Syria – no connection whatsoever,” Rear Adm. John Kirby, Pentagon press secretary, said in a briefing Tuesday with reporters. “I wouldn’t draw from one any kind of conclusions or changes to the other.”

  • Daily Beast - U.S. Hasn't Even Started Training Rebel Army to Fight ISIS
  • Reuters - Russia's New Push for Syria Dialogue Unlikely to Be Fruitful
  • McClatchy - Key provincial capital in Iraq may be about to fall to Islamic State
  • TPM - Clemons: Hagel Deeply Frustrated By Obama Team's Lack Of Discipline
  • AP - Iraq to overhaul Baghdad security to stop bombings
• National Society for Human Rights
  Anger boils over ‘no single women’ signs at restaurants

  The National Society for Human Rights (NSHR) has asked a number of restaurants to take down signs banning the entry of women who are unaccompanied by their male guardians, Al-Hayat daily reported. In a statement, the NSHR described these signs as illegal and said should be removed immediately because they were put up at the request of their owners, not the authorities.

• Israel
  Israel’s lurch to the right dims two-state peace prospects

  With Netanyahu's 20-month-old, right-wing coalition looking increasingly shaky and talk of early elections growing, all the constituent parties are trying to shore up their base. The threat to Netanyahu comes from nationalist groups on the far-right, and so he has sought to head off their challenge. As well as demonizing Abbas, he has pushed a highly contentious bill that would establish Israel as the Jewish nation state, legislation critics say puts religion ahead of democracy and marginalizes the Arab minority.

• Air Transport
  Saudi could handle ‘five more airlines’

  Saudi Arabia’s burgeoning aviation market could do with another five airlines, a member of the kingdom’s Shoura Council has said. Government-owned carrier Saudia was struggling to cope with the increasing demand for domestic flights, Abdullah Bin Naseef said, according to the Saudi Gazette.

• FIFA 2022 Architecture
  Qatar’s latest world cup stadium will include air cooling technology

  The organization responsible for building the stadia and infrastructure for the 2022 FIFA world cup has unveiled renovation plans for the khalifa international stadium, the third host venue for the global event. the expansion scheme will increase the arena’s seating capacity to 40,000, while innovative cooling technology inside the design will ensure an optimum playing temperature of 26 degrees celsius.

• OPEC Meeting
  OPEC Meeting: Saudis Stare Down Oil Producers in Texas and North Dakota

  The Saudis are perfectly willing to watch the price of oil keep falling to see if they can’t drive some of those U.S. companies out of business. So the game becomes how low can they go. Recent analysis by Bloomberg New Energy Finance finds that 19 regions across Texas, Oklahoma, Louisiana, Kansas, and Arkansas stop being profitable at $75 a barrel. Which is roughly where things are at the moment.

  • Al-Bawaba - To cut or not to cut: OPEC's existential question
  • Bloomberg - Oil Bust of 1986 Reminds U.S. Drillers of Price War Risks
  • Market Watch - Oil drops to 4-year low as traders await OPEC
  • Reuters - Saudis signal no push for oil cut as market to 'stabilize itself'
• Iran Negotiations
  Iran nuclear talks: Optimism as deadline is extended

  The US and Iran say they are confident of reaching a deal over Tehran's nuclear programme after agreeing a seven-month extension to talks. Iranian President Hassan Rouhani said a deal was close but US Secretary of State John Kerry warned that several points of disagreement remained.

  • AP - Iran Leader Says West Will Not Defeat Iran
  • LA Times - Talks on Iran's Nuclear Program Rightly Extended
  • Foreign Policy - The Iran Nuke Extension Is a Death Sentence
  • Washington Post - Iran nuclear talks extended for 7 months amid impasse ahead of deadline
• Al-Qaeda in Yemen
  Yemen: Raid frees eight hostages, including US serviceman

  A group of seven Yemenis and a US military expert who were taken hostage by a group linked to al-Qaeda have been freed by Yemeni Special Forces, a local security source has told the BBC.

• 10 of 61038 results<< 1 … 6,060 6,061 6,062 … 6,104 >>