MUST-READS

• Paris Robbery
  ‘All the Elements of a Hollywood Thriller’ – Saudi Prince’s Convoy Attacked by Gunmen in Paris

  The brazen robbery had all the elements of a Hollywood thriller: a commando-style ambush by a group of thieves wielding Kalashnikov rifles, a suitcase stuffed with cash, sensitive diplomatic documents and a likely shaken Saudi prince.

• Labor
  Saudi’s Labour Ministry Says Needs $4bn Per Year For Reforms

  The Kingdom has been struggling to bring down the unemployment rate among nationals – estimated at around 11.4 per cent, with economists saying that just 30 to 40 per cent of the working age adults participate in the workforce.

• Military
  Saudi Prince Miteb rules out need for military conscription

  “This is out of the question because we find that the number of volunteers among citizens for joining the military sector is very high, whether to the academies or institutes” he said, when asked about the possibility of introducing conscription in the kingdom.

• Art
  Saudi artist relates the human impact of Mecca’s redevelopment

  Ahmed Mater, one of Saudi Arabia’s leading artists, showed an audience at Sotheby’s London last night, Tuesday 12 August, the rampant development in Mecca that has transformed Islam’s holiest site into a luxury destination. Even the official logo of the municipality features a bulldozer alongside Islamic iconography.

• Pakistan
  Pakistan braces as Khan seeks 1 million people to oust Sharif

  Opposition leader Imran Khan is aiming to rally 1 million people Thursday for a march in the Pakistan capital to oust Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif over fraud allegations in an election 15 months ago.

• Energy
  Libya Plans to Resume Exports From its Largest Oil Port Next Week

  Libya plans to restart exports from its largest oil port Es Sider next week after a one-year interruption, people familiar with the matter said Wednesday. The news, which comes after shipments restarted this week from another key terminal, Ras Lanuf, shows Libyan oil exports are set to gain momentum after a slower-than-expected restart.

• Iraq Crisis
  Militants’ Siege on Mountain in Iraq Is Over, Pentagon Says

  Defense Department officials said late Wednesday that United States airstrikes and Kurdish fighters had broken the Islamic militants’ siege of Mount Sinjar, allowing thousands of the Yazidis trapped there to escape.

• Nitaqat
  Saudi Arabia seen losing expats over visa limitation

  The Labor Ministry recently announced the decision, which will become effective from October 25, in a bid to encourage companies in the lowest ranking to improve their employment of Saudi nationals in the private sector.

• Nitaqat
  1.5 million Saudis now work in private sector

  There were almost 1.5 million Saudis employed in the private sector in 2013, an increase of more than 332,000 compared with 2012, according to data released by the Ministry of Labor.

• Real Estate
  Housing: ‘Many frustrated home-seekers on the edge’

  The shortage of housing ranks high among the list of many other concerns.  A rising gap between what is available on the market and what most Saudis can afford has left many frustrated home-seekers on the edge. A shortage of low- and middle-income targeted housing means millions of Saudis cannot afford to buy a home.  Young Saudis are especially affected since it takes years of saving before many can afford to buy a home, often a precursor to marriage.

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