Dubai’s Retail Sector Drives Growth During Q1

Industry, finance, transportation, real estate and construction are some of the other key sectors driving economic growth in the emirate.

Saudi’s SABIC Q2 Net Profit Up 14%

SABIC’s net income for the three months to June 30 was 6.04 billion Saudi riyals compared with 5.3 billion riyals in the same period last year.

Abu Dhabi Food Prices Rise 1.9% During Ramadan

Despite government efforts, food prices are rising throughout the Holy month with coffee, tea and cocoa up by 5.4 per cent since Ramadan began.

Bank Sohar To Consider Bank Dhofar Merger Offer

Bank Dhofar, the larger of the two lenders, said last week that it had approached Bank Sohar with regards to a merger proposal.

Kingdom Holding Posts Small Q2 Profit Rise

Net profit for the first six months of 2013 was 291.3 million riyals, 4.1 per cent up on the 279.7 million riyals made last year.

Sheikh Mansour Sells 6% Stake In Barclays

The Manchester City owner sold all of his stake in the British bank after helping to rescue the lender during the financial crisis.

Dubai Significantly Fuels Your Personal Creativity

Nicolai Tillisch explains how a place like Dubai can make you substantially more creative – and the shortcuts you should avoid.

UAE Transferred $3bn In Aid To Egypt, Saudi To Follow

Gulf Arab oil producers have promised aid packages worth $12 billion to Egypt since the overthrow of president Mohamed Mursi.

UAE League Struggles Despite Riches Splashed Abroad

Among the UAE clubs, only Abu Dhabi’s Al Jazira Stadium has a capacity greater than 20,000 with most crowds often only in the hundreds.

Qatar Reveals Plan To Become Region’s Financial Hub

The tiny Gulf state will take on Abu Dhabi and Dubai as it looks to become the region’s financial powerhouse.

UAE Telecom Operators Fail To Agree Network Sharing Deal

Du and Etisalat already offer fixed-line, broadband and television packages in the UAE, but not in the same districts, with du confined to the newer areas of Dubai.

UAE Ranked 19th Most Socially Advanced Country

Five countries from the MENA region made the top 50 list, which highlights the areas that a country should focus on to improve the well being of its people.

National Bank Of Oman Posts Flat Q2 Net Profit

Net profit for the first half of the year was 18.77 million rials compared with 19.92 million rials in the prior year period.

Dubai Land Deals Hit Dhs108bn In H1 2013

The value of real estate transactions rose 30 per cent on the same period last year.

Fifa Boss Backs Qatar 2022 World Cup Seasonal Change

Sepp Blatter has said he will propose moving the dates of the tournament to winter, in a bid to avoid Qatar’s summer heat.

Car Bomb Explodes Outside Mosque In Bahrain

Witnesses said several vehicles were destroyed in the explosion but there were no reports of injuries.

Etihad Working Towards July 31 Jet Deal Deadline

The Abu Dhabi carrier agreed in April to buy a 24 per cent stake in Jet Airways but political concerns and scrutiny by Indian market regulators have delayed the deal.

Dubai Mall, MOE To Keep Major Market Share Despite Mall Boom

Secondary malls, like Discovery Gardens Centre, will come as a relief as retail space at the major malls faces high demand.

Abu Dhabi World’s Best Market For Rolls-Royce

The UAE capital recorded the highest number of sales across the maker’s markets in the first half of 2013.

UAE’s Air Arabia Surges To Near 5-Year High

Air Arabia is the top trader on the UAE bourse after jumping 8.3 per cent to reach its highest levels since October 2008.

Bahrain Sovereign Fund Mumtalakat 2012 Net Loss Narrows

Mumtalakat made a net loss of 181.7 million dinars versus a net loss of 270.6 million a year earlier.

New Workers Law Passed In Saudi Arabia

The new legislation protects maids and drivers but also punishes them for breaking their contracts.

Emirates Skycargo Terminal At Dubai World Central Opening May 2014

Work is underway on 700,000sqm facility which will be supported by dedicated road feeder services to Dubai International.

UAE’s ADNOC, ADGAS Offer Rare Spot Cargoes

The offer came just days after ADGAS, partly owned by ADNOC, offered 25,000 tonnes of naphtha for loading from Das Island.

Minor Hotel Group Buys 50% Stake In Per AQUUM

Partnership with Universal Enterprises Maldives will see more Per AQUUM hotels across Middle East, Asia, Indian Ocean and Africa.

India’s Jet: Etihad Investment Completed In A Few Months

Etihad in April agreed to buy a 24 per cent stake in Jet for $379 million and it is also making a $150 million equity investment in Jet’s frequent flyer programme.

UAE Financial Sector To Freeze Hiring in H2 2013

The UAE’s financial sector is poised for expansion in the second half of 2013 but hiring depends largely on winning new projects.

Masdar PHD Student In Global Challenge Final

Alaeddine Mokri, a student at the Masdar Institute of Science and Technology, has invented the ‘UltraSmart’ – a smartphone tool for engineers and scientists.

European Refiners Buy Emirati Oil To Cover Shortage

High prices on Europe-destined sour crude coupled with weak demand for sour crude in Asia has opened a price gap over the last month.

Saudi’s Mobily Q2 Net Profit Rises 13.4%

The telecoms operator made a second-quarter net profit of 1.61 billion riyals, up from 1.42 billion riyals in the same period a year earlier.