40% Of UAE HR Directors To Hire, 9% To Freeze Hiring In H1 2015 – Survey

Employee retention is a major concern for HR professionals in the country, says study by Robert Half.

UAE Regulator Lets Airlines Resume Baghdad Flights After Shooting

Flights will be subject to increased safety and security requirements, the regulator said.

Nshama Launches Massive Residential Project Town Square In Dubai

Town Square will feature 3,000 townhouses and 18,000 apartments in addition to retail, hospitality and commercial units.

Bahrain Sentences Three Men To Death For Killing Policeman

The ruling is the latest in a series of strict penalties handed down to those accused of seeking to destabilise the Western-allied kingdom.

Saudi To Hike April Crude OSPs For Asia, Arab Light

Higher OSPs would come as a vote of confidence by the OPEC kingpin in oil demand recovery.

Bahrain Banks On Infrastructure, Private Sector To Ride Out Cheap Oil

Experts say that Bahrain had managed to diversify its economy enough in recent years to make lower oil prices less damaging.

Abu Dhabi’s AMMROC Inks Dhs2.3bn Deal With UAE Armed Forces

The contract is expected to facilitate a performance-based logistics arrangement between the two stakeholders in the future.

Only In UAE: New ‘Selfie’ Credit Card Launched In The Country

Following scented and diamond-encrusted credit cards, a bank has now unveiled plans for a ‘selfie’ card.

UAE Court Sentences Six Iranians To Life In Jail Over British Businessman’s Kidnap

Abbas Yazdi, a businessman of Iranian descent who owns a general trading company in Dubai, disappeared in June 2013.

UAE’s Etisalat Q4 Profit Jumps 47%, Below Forecast

It made an annual net profit of Dhs8.9 billion, up from Dhs7.1 billion in 2013.

Saudi Aramco Sees Jizan Refinery’s First Units Starting Up In 2017

The 400,000 barrels per day refinery is part of a $20 billion plan to develop an industrial city in Jizan.

Qatar Bank Al Khaliji Gets Shareholder Assent For Up To $1.75bn Bond Sale

Bond issuance from Qatari borrowers has been rare in the last 18 months.

Emirates President Tim Clark Urges US Govt To Ignore Subsidy Claims

He was responding to allegations made by the three largest U.S. airlines, Delta Air Lines, American Airlines and United Airlines.

UAE’s First Gulf Bank Sees 9-11% Loan Growth In 2015

FGB, the third-largest lender in the UAE by assets, reported a 13 per cent rise in Q4 net profit in January.

Oil Rises To $59 As Saudis Say Demand Growing

Oil fell on Tuesday after a bigger-than-anticipated rise in U.S. crude oil stocks.

Dubai’s DEWA To Open 100 Electric Vehicle Charging Stations In 2015

The authority inaugurated the first station within its main office on Wednesday.

Saudi Mobily Suffers 2014 Loss, Loan Covenant Breach

Mobily’s shares have fallen by 56 per cent since an accounting scandal first broke in November.

Qatar’s Hassad Food Eyes Brazilian Sugar, Poultry Assets

Hassad Food, wholly owned by the Qatar Investment Authority, was set up in 2008 to boost the Gulf country’s food security.

Microsoft Launches Gold Editions Of Lumia 830, 930 In UAE

The 830 will be priced at Dhs1,349, while the 930 will cost Dhs1,799 and both will be available from this week.

Qatar Investment Slowing As Oil Slumps – Investment House CEO

A proposal by Qatar’s Investment House for a QAR750 million IPO of an agricultural firm has been shelved by regulators.

Saudi’s Naimi Says Oil Demand Is Growing As Prices Stabilise

The price of crude rebounded from a near six-year low to around $60 per barrel this month.

Bahrain’s GFH Plans $230m Sukuk Issue In 2015 To Fund Acquisitions

The bank is borrowing from financial markets again as it recovers from a debt restructuring.

Developer Damac Reveals Plans to Create A Rainforest In Dubai

The rainforest, to be created within a dome, will be located in Damac’s Akoya Oxygen project.

Saudi Regulator Suspends Mobily Shares After 2014 Results Revision

Mobily on Wednesday said it had swung to a full-year loss in 2014, according to audited results.

UAE Firm, Armed Forces In $235m Support Contract For Oshkosh Vehicles

EARTH will provide support for 750 mine resistant ambush protected (MRAP) vehicles which Oshkosh Corp sold to the Gulf Arab state in 2013.

Saudi’s Mobily Set To Slash Dividends After Earnings Scandal

Tuesday’s price of SAR35.30 per share means around $13 billion has been wiped off Mobily’s market value since May.

US Firm Raytheon Agrees To Equip UAE Armoured Vehicles With Rockets

The firm did not give a contract value or say when delivery will begin.

Saudi Court Gives Death Penalty To Man Who Renounced His Muslim Faith

The man, in his 20s, reportedly posted an online video ripping up a copy of the Koran and hitting it with a shoe.

Gulf Economies Have Failed To Diversify, Qatar Central Banker Says

GCC economies should rethink their monetary policies and the long-term sustainability of their currency pegs to the U.S. dollar, he said.

FIFA Taskforce Recommends Nov/Dec For Qatar 2022 World Cup

The taskforce suggested that the tournament be moved from June and July to avoid Qatar’s hot summers.