Russia overtakes Saudi Arabia for second time in China crude supply

China bought 983,590 bpd from Russia last month, up 42 per cent year-on-year, while imports from Saudi were down 16.5 per cent at 961,710 bpd

Abu Dhabi’s new financial freezone begins operations

Abu Dhabi Global Market will initially focus on sectors such as wealth management, asset management and private banking

Dell to hire extensively in Dubai as it expands Middle East presence

The company is increasing manpower within its healthcare, security and IoT businesses

Abu Dhabi court delivers final verdict on school bus death case

Three-year old Nizaha Ala’a suffocated to death after she fell asleep and remained locked inside a school bus in October 2014

Saudi Prince Alwaleed’s Kingdom Holding reports 10% increase in Q3 net profit

Kingdom Holding made a net profit of SAR 291.55m in the third quarter of 2015, up from SAR 265m in the same period a year earlier

Saudis looking at wide range of fiscal reforms -IMF official

The IMF estimates Riyadh faces a record budget deficit of well over $100bn this year, amounting to 21.6 per cent of gross domestic product

Kuwait plans new terminal as stop-gap for delayed airport expansion

The new terminal will lift capacity at Kuwait International Airport to 10 million passengers a year

France nears 2.5 bn euros of defence deals with Kuwait

The deal for 24 Caracal heavy helicopters has been in the works since June, when French officials said it had been provisionally agreed

UN right experts urge Qatar to free man jailed for critical poem

Mohammed al-Ajami, 39, was detained in 2012 and initially sentenced to life imprisonment but later got his sentence reduced

Kuwait Airways expects to make a profit in two to three years

Kuwait’s government has approved plans to privatise the airline

Dubai Medical District inks deal with du to develop smart services

Du will create and establish infrastructure made of optical fiber in Dubai Medical District, in addition to improving the signal’s range

Saudi rights activists sentenced to years in prison – Amnesty

All 11 founding members of the Saudi Civil and Political Rights Association are either jailed or awaiting trial

Iran returns Saudi accusations of cross-border meddling

Saudi’s foreign minister said this week that Iran’s military role in Syria disqualified it from playing a role in peacemaking efforts there

Marka to launch French jewellery brand dinh van in Dubai

House of dinh van is expected to open its first Dubai outlet in November at City Walk

Damac chief slams reports of oversupply in Dubai’s property market

False reports of oversupply are damaging market sentiment, says Damac managing director Ziad El Chaar

Saudi CMA may relax investor rules to join world indices

Limitations on market access are frowned upon by index compliers such as MSCI and FTSE, whose indices are tracked by trillions of dollars of institutional wealth globally

Almost 70% of UAE customers trust their banks

The UAE’s banking customers are five times more likely to say that their view of their banks has improved rather than worsened in the last six months

Dubai’s Drake and Scull wins Dhs 224m deal for hotel, mall expansion

The contractor did not specify the name of the mall or the hotel it is building

Saudi to impose a maximum of $26.67 per square metre on undeveloped lands

The fees would encourage landowners to develop their land instead of just holding it for profit, the country’s housing minister said

Saudi says difficult to see role for Iran in Syria peacemaking

Adel al-Jubeir said that Syrian President Bashar al-Assad had to leave power if peace was to be achieved

Free public wifi across Dubai will soon be a reality – expert

Telecom operators will not lose out as they can create new streams of revenue generation, says industry expert

Etisalat, du can now compete for broadband, fixed voice services across UAE

The UAE’s Telecommunications Regulatory Authority has opened up broadband and fixed voice services to residential customers

UAE to see 62% rise in number of millionaires by 2020 – Credit Suisse

The number of millionaires in the country is expected to increase from 59,000 in 2015 to 96,000 by 2020

Qatar’s Ezdan Holding closes $500m 5-year Islamic loan – arranger

The amount was more than 2.5 times covered by contributions from banks

Microsoft says Windows 10 for mobiles to launch in UAE within “few months”

The new operating system has received a positive response in the region, says official

Saudi Aramco says fraud foiled between trading unit and India’s ONGC

Cyber criminals had duped Aramco into making a payment for an order of naphtha from ONGC into their own bank account

TRA launches new feature to test efficiency of UAE’s mobile networks

Tailor made cars, equipped with the smart system, will be deployed when there is a complaint from users about their experience with the network operators

UAE bank ADCB meets estimates with 18.3% Q3 net profit gain

The lender’s earnings were boosted by an 10 per cent year on year gain in net interest income, made from traditional banking operations

Saudi’s SABIC eyes joint-ventures in China, U.S.

SABIC could make an announcement regarding the potential joint ventures in the first quarter of 2016, a senior official said

Dubai’s Aster DM Healthcare in $245m Saudi hospital investment

The investment brings Aster DM Healthcare’s total ownership stake to 97 per cent in Sanad Hospital