UAE’s Credit Bureau To Start Operating In Q1 – CEO

The bureau hopes to complete agreements with banks to provide credit information and create an electronic database by the end of January.

Investcorp Acquires Minority Stake In Turkish Food Producer

Investcorp recently bought a 25 per cent stake in Saudi Arabia’s sports and fitness business Leejam Sports Co.

Kuwait Appoints Islamist MP As Oil Minister In Reshuffle

Anas al-Saleh, a former minister for commerce and industry, was selected to head the Finance Ministry, replacing Sheikh Salem Abdulaziz al-Sabah.

Flydubai Firms Up Boeing Airshow Order

The confirmed $8.8 billion order, placed at the Dubai Airshow, provides the foundations for the low-cost carrier’s next growth phase.

Saudi Arabia Introduces Unemployment Insurance

The move is designed to make it more attractive for young Saudis to seek jobs in private companies.

Dubai’s Gulf Navigation Wins Approval For Turnaround Measures

Shareholders agreed to a motion at a board meeting on January 5 that the business would not be dissolved.

Emaar To Redeem $237m Convertible Bond On Feb 6

Shares of Emaar climbed 103.7 per cent last year, helped by returning confidence in Dubai’s real estate sector.

Qatar’s Doha Insurance Plans $120m Rights Issue

The insurer has received regulatory approval for the issuance of 24,260,000 new shares.

Saudi Arabia Ranks High On Healthcare IT Spending

Healthcare is the second fastest growing sector after government in terms of IT spending.

Emaar Launches Lila Villas In Arabian Ranches

The Spanish-themed villas will form part of the Arabian Ranches extension plan.

56% UAE Employees Are Unhappy With Their Salaries

Almost 56 per cent of those polled said that the best salary package in the UAE was offered in the oil and gas industry.

Emirates Took A Risk Ordering A380s – Tim Clark

The Dubai carrier currently has 97 of Airbus’ superjumbos on its order book.

EFG International To Buy Falcon’s Hong Kong Activities

Falcon said it was leaving Hong Kong in favour of concentrating on the Middle East, Africa and Eastern Europe.

Jumeirah To Sign Saudi Hotel Deal In 2014

Discussions are ongoing in the Kingdom, says Jumeirah’s president and group CEO, Gerald Lawless.

Qatar To Create 127,000 Tourism Jobs By 2030

Qatar’s hospitality sector is expected to boost job creation as the country continues investing heavily to promote tourism.

Kerry Says Saudi King Backs Israeli-Palestinian Push

The U.S. Secretary of State spent two hours and 40 minutes with King Abdullah. Earlier in the day he met with the King of Jordan.

Kuwait Six-Month Budget Surplus Down 15% As Spending Jumps

Spending soared over 50 per cent, partly thanks to increased outlays on public sector wages.

Emirates President Tim Clark Knighted In UK Honours List

Clark was recognised for his “services to British prosperity and to the aviation industry”.

UAE Bourse Regulator To Crack Down On Unlicensed Lending

Firms must abide by the new regulations or face fines of Dhs100,000.

Dubai Duty Free Sales Touch Dhs6.65bn In 2013

Perfumes, liquor and gold were the best selling products in 2013.

Saudi Plane Makes Emergency Landing, 29 Hurt

The flight, arriving from Mashhad in Iran before dawn, was carrying 315 passengers and suffered a technical malfunction.

Dubai’s Ruler Ranks 7 Among World Leaders Using Twitter

Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum has over 2.4 million followers on Twitter.

Saudi To Recruit More Indian Domestic Workers After Labour Deal

Officials say that the new labour deal will better protect the rights of foreign domestic workers in the Kingdom.

UAE Urges Emiratis In Lebanon To Leave The Country

The country’s foreign affairs ministry also urged UAE citizens against all travel to Lebanon because of security concerns.

Abu Dhabi’s ATIC To Invest Up To $10bn In U.S. Chip Plant

ATIC is controlled by Abu Dhabi state investment fund Mubadala and owns GlobalFoundries.

Bahrain Names Bahraini Living In Iran As Suspect In Foiled Attacks

The Gulf Arab kingdom has been rattled by bouts of unrest since February 2011.

Nakheel Plans $1.1bn Of Early Debt Repayments In 2014

Nakheel was taken over by the government as part of a $16 billion rescue plan completed in 2011.

Egypt Summons Qatari Envoy After Criticisms Of Crackdown

Egypt accuses Qatar and its Doha-based Al Jazeera television channel of backing the Muslim Brotherhood.

Bahrain Impasse Risks More Instability In 2014

Authorities are using arrests, raids and strict new laws against activists seeking political reform.

The Battle For Business Class

In a bid to boost their business passenger base, carriers are investing heavily in luxury amenities, while others have even mulled dropping first class all together.