Chairman of Abu Dhabi’s Al Hilal Bank resigns

Ahmed Ateeq al-Mazrouei, chairman of the lender since 2008, has left for personal reasons, sources said

Abu Dhabi’s Emirates Motor Company closes $175m debut loan

Noor Bank was the initial lead arranger for the syndicated structured facility

UAE issues new law against religious discrimination, hate crimes

Violators will face jail-terms of between six months to 10 years and fines ranging from Dhs 50,000 to Dhs 2m

Damac subsidiary launches Versace branded project in London

Located in the Nine Elms regeneration area, the 50-storey project is slated for completion in 2020

Bahrain summons Iranian ambassador over Ayatollah Khamenei’s comments

The Iranian leader had said on Saturday that the country would support “oppressed” people in Bahrain

Will Qatar survive as the 2022 World Cup host?

Moving forward from FIFA’s corruption debacle will be difficult, whether Qatar has acted ethically or not

Dubai’s DEWA announces financial close of phase II of mega solar park

The 200MW IPP phase II project of the Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum Solar Park is slated to be operational by 2017

Emirates operates one-off A380 to Taiwan

Emirates is the first airline to land the A380 at Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport

Saudi crude oil exports fall to lowest in five months in May

The kingdom exported 7.737 million barrels a day in April

R Hotels plans new Dhs 150m hotel in Ajman Corniche

Construction on the 182-key hotel is slated to begin in Q3 2015 with the opening scheduled for Q1 2017

Iran’s Rouhani speaks to Qatar ruler after nuclear deal

Rouhani said he expects the nuclear deal to improve relations with its neighbours

Emirates deploys one-off A380s to Qatar, Bahrain for Eid

The special A380 flights were at full capacity, supporting the traffic over the Eid holiday period from both countries

Hamas chief and Saudi king hold rare meeting

Relations between Hamas and Saudi have improved since King Salman assumed the Saudi throne in January

Saudi Arabia arrests 431 ISIL suspects, thwarts bombings

Officials said they thwarted six suicide operations which targeted mosques in the Eastern province

Saudi bond issues to soar as government plugs deficit

Bankers expect heavy issuance in coming months that could change banks’ balance sheets and eventually help to create an active domestic bond market

UAE banks up investments in digital channels to lure customers

From mobile apps to fully digital branches, UAE banks are finding favour with their customers as they embrace digital services

Qatar, UAE among top 10 nations with most efficient governments

Qatar emerged as the country with the most efficient government, while the UAE ranked fifth worldwide according to a new report from WEF

UAE military officer dies in Yemen

The official news agency said that the soldier died while in active duty in Yemen

Qatar backs Iran deal, hopes Tehran will take “positive” stance

The deal might make Iran have a “better and positive approach” toward the GCC region, Qatar’s foreign minister says

Deported Australian woman hits back at UAE reports of car owner insults

Jodi Magi has denied that she wrote insulting words about the car owner along with a picture she posted on Facebook

Dragon Oil’s largest shareholder ENOC says no to dividend payment

ENOC, which owns 54 per cent of Dragon Oil, in June offered 750 pence per share to buy out minority shareholders

Etihad signs sponsorship deal with Saudi football club Al Ittihad

The Abu Dhabi-based carrier will serve as the preferred airline for the Jeddah-based club

Former Saudi spy chief says Iran nuclear deal will “wreak havoc”

Officials and Saudi media with close ties to the ruling family have privately railed against the recent nuclear deal

Man blows self up planting bomb in Bahrain – ministry

The man was trying to plant a bomb in a Shi’ite village in the country, the ministry said

Saudi transport plans in focus as Talgo says train contract scrapped

The Spanish trainmaker won the $201m contract in February, following a feasibility study into building a high-speed rail line between Riyadh and Dammam

Kuwait seeks death for 11 mosque bombing suspects

State news agency KUNA said on Tuesday 29 people had been indicted on terrorism charges in relation to the attack

Saudi media label Iran deal an assault on Arab interests

A Saudi official said he feared the Iran agreement would make the Middle East more dangerous

UAE deports Australian woman jailed for Facebook post

Jodi Magi, a 39-year old graphic design teacher, was jailed after she reportedly posted a picture of a car parked across two disabled parking spots on Facebook

Dubai’s Mashreq Q2 net profit climbs 11%

For the first half of 2015, the bank reported a net profit of Dhs 1.3bn, up 11.6 per cent from a year earlier

UAE ranked eighth most attractive retail market globally

The UAE’s strong infrastructure and business friendly environment make the country an attractive market to retailers, a new study shows