Saudi Oil Min Says U.S. Shale Oil Helps Keep Oil Markets Stable

Shale oil remains much more costly to produce than most Middle East crude.

Sager Is Frontrunner To Succeed Dabdoub At Kuwait’s NBK

Isam al-Sager, 58, is currently the deputy chief executive of National Bank of Kuwait.

Empower

Empower Buys Cooling Firm For $500m From Dubai World Unit

Acquiring Palm Utilities will give Empower about 70 per cent of the UAE’s district cooling market.

Shell And UAE’s Mubadala Swap Malaysian Offshore Field Stakes

Mubadala has taken a 20 per cent interest in Block 2B and Shell has taken a 20 per cent interest in Block SK320.

UAE Introduces Compulsory Military Service For Men

All Emirati males between ages 18 and 30 will be required to serve in the military while it is optional for women

Abu Dhabi Plans Aviation Biofuel Project With Boeing And Total

The venture is looking at various raw materials to produce biofuel including agricultural waste and date palm leaves.

Abu Dhabi’s Prime Property Prices Rose 30% In Q4 2013

Reem Island showed the highest rise in prices for the second consecutive year in 2013, comprising around 30 per cent of online property searches.

Nakheel 2013 Profit Up 27%; Plans Dhs6-8bn New Projects In 2014

The developer attributed the profit rise to the timely completion of projects and the handing over of finished units to customers.

Saudi’s Almarai Posts Marginal Q4 Net Profit Gain

Net earnings in the three months to December 31 were 373.3 million riyals, up 1.2 per cent on the same period a year earlier.

Saudi’s Al Rajhi Bank Halves H2 Dividend After Q4 Profit Drop

Al Rajhi reported a 19.1 per cent drop in fourth-quarter net profit.

Dubai’s Real Estate Deals Hit Dhs236bn In 2013

The number of deals in Dubai rose 53 per cent from 2012, reaching a total of 63,652, according to the land department.

SABIC’s Q4 Profit Up 5.7%, Below Forecasts

SABIC earned 6.16 billion riyals in the quarter, not the 6.58 billion analysts predicted.

Investcorp Sells UK-based TDX Group to Equifax for $327m

TDX is the UK’s largest debt placement services and debt management platform company.

Israeli Minister To Lead Delegation To Abu Dhabi Energy Summit

The Israeli delegation will be the first at government level to visit the UAE since the assassination of Mahmoud al-Mabhouh in Dubai.

Qatar Airways To Launch Saudi Operations By Q3

Saudi Arabia started opening up its aviation market in 2012 by awarding additional carrier licenses.

Emirates Starts Daily Kiev Services

Ukraine-UAE inbound market set to double.

Dubai Launches Entrepreneurship Academy

The academy aims to equip entrepreneurs with practical skills and knowledge they need to become future businesspeople.

UAE Attracts Top Talent Ahead Of Expo 2020

Around 49,000 LinkedIn members have moved to the UAE in the last 12 months.

Dubai Group Signs $10bn Debt Restructuring Deal

Ahmed al-Qassim was appointed chief executive of Dubai Group last week.

New Saudi Airline In $2bn Deal For Bombardier Planes

Bombardier has so far seen slow orders for the CSeries after several months of development delays.

Nakheel Appoints Halcrow To Design New Palm Attraction

The new project, called The Boardwalk, will run across the whole of the existing crescent with a pier at either end.

UAE To Attract $14.4bn FDI In 2014

The UAE attracted FDIs worth $12 billion in 2013 owing to increased government spending and resurgence in some service sectors.

Saudi-Qatar Rivalry Divides Syrian Opposition

Syrian National Coalition is expected to decide this week whether to take part in the Geneva-2 conference in Switzerland.

Qatar’s Masraf Al Rayan Buys Islamic Bank Of Britain

IBB was majority-owned by another Qatari lender, Qatar International Islamic Bank.

Qatar Holding Deal Maker Fakhroo Leaves For Govt-Linked Role

Aziz Aluthman Fakhroo, a Qatari national and a director at the fund’s mergers and acquisitions team, left late last year.

Qatar’s Delayed Hamad International Airport To Open Mid-2014

The airport’s passenger terminal will be opened with a larger-than-planned capacity of 30 million.

Bahrain Crown Prince Meets Opposition On Ending Political Deadlock

Reconciliation talks were suspended last week in a setback for efforts to stabilise the country.

UAE Salmon Farms: A Big Catch

An Abu Dhabi company plans to bring the region’s first ever salmon farm to the capital.

Etisalat Hires Standard Bank For Nigeria Tower Sale

Etisalat Nigeria could raise $400 million by selling its transmitter towers.

Lenovo Launches First LTE Smartphone, Vibe Z, In UAE

The phone, priced at Dhs1999, will be available in the country by the end of February.