Saudi labour minister: Binladin crisis to be resolved

On Monday, al-Watan newspaper reported that Binladin had laid off about 77,000 foreign workers

Saudi Arabia launches first women’s business park

The park is designed to boost the kingdom’s knowledge economy and create jobs

Saudi to loosen foreign ownership limits for stocks

Previously, qualified institutions could only own a maximum of 5 per cent of any listed company

Amazon, Meta join ranks of tech companies slashing thousands of jobs

Stagnating job market hits UAE non-oil growth in April

Payroll numbers failed to increase for only the second time in the history of Emirates NBD’s PMI index

Qatar Investment Authority to cut its focus on Europe

Internal review is said to have highlighted an over-commitment to Europe, prompting emphasis on external managers

Report on Saudi involvement in 9/11 should remain secret, says CIA director

John Brennan says secret parts of the report could be misinterpreted if released for public scrutiny

Dubai Holding launches 3D printing centre for 700 businesses

The announcement follows the unveiling of the emirate’s 3D printing strategy last week

Binladin latest: Firm cuts 77,000 jobs, could lay off Saudis

Between 12,000 and 17,000 Saudi employees are expected to be laid off

Saudi Arabia looks to UK, France and China for help building homes

In March, the ministry signed memorandums with South Korea to develop 100,000 housing units

Bahrain’s Alba cites collapse in aluminium prices as Q1 profit falls 89%

Alba’s chief executive said in November it would reach its target to cut cash costs by $150 per tonne by January 2016

Majid Al Futtaim plans $1.3bn investment in Oman malls

Plans include new malls and the expansion of existing locations

VAT will force Saudi retailers to cut jobs, costs – report

A 5 per cent VAT rate will be introduced across the GCC in the coming years

Saudi politician calls for 65km of bridges to Qatar, Bahrain

Proposal was made at a Gulf Cooperation Council municipalities conference in Qatar

Expats banned from buying produce at Jeddah’s vegetable market – report

The Saudi government has recently been driving employment of locals in the private sector

UAE teachers need to be licensed by 2021, minister says

Pilot scheme rolled out in 2017 in bid to tackle failing schools

Abu Dhabi TAQA mulls hiving off oil, gas assets – sources

Loss-making TAQA has been scaling back investments overseas and cutting costs to cope with the slump in crude oil prices

Saudi workers set fire to buses after ‘50,000 sacked’

Binladin Group employees also say they have not been paid for six months

Qatar National Bank says customer accounts safe despite data breach

Documents posted online last week included the bank details of journalists, supposed royal family members and government and defence officials

25% of UAE firms say Emiratisation does not apply to them – survey

Emiratis were found to make up less than 10 per cent of the total workforce in half of the companies surveyed

Saudi Arabia says to provide housing to 100,000 poorer families

The assistance to the families, in the form of land, villas, apartments or financing, will be extended over a year

Qatar investigates death at World Cup site as labour rights under scrutiny

Along with accusations of corruption during its World Cup bid, Qatar has long been under fire from rights groups for labour abuses

Oman to cut public authority worker benefits

Perks being cut include health insurance, annual leave tickets and school fees

Kuwait considers deporting expats that lose their job

The country is planning to reduce its foreign population from 69 per cent today to below 50 per cent

Oman plans to build oil storage terminal near Duqm – minister

In its first phase, the storage facility will have a capacity of between 6 million and 10 million barrels of oil

UAE eyes man-made mountain to maximise rainfall

The country is using groundwater reserves more than 20 times faster than they can be recharged

RTA announces new bridge linking Jebel Ali North, South

The bridge will ease congestion on nearby roads, according to the RTA

Saudi builder Binladin terminates 50,000 jobs – newspaper

The company employs 200,000 people, according to its LinkedIn page

Saudi, Russia, Qatar and Venezuela agree to freeze oil output at Jan levels

Saudi Arabia will struggle to kick its addiction to oil

True diversification requires developing industries which have nothing to do with the extraction of oil and spending of oil-related revenue

Saudi central bank net foreign assets fall $6bn in March

Net foreign assets held by the central bank dropped by 1.0 per cent from the previous month

Dubai renters now able to apply for holiday home permit

Rule changes are designed to make the licencing process easier for homeowners and renters