UAE Cooling Firm Tabreed’s Q1 Net Profit Rises 22%

The Dubai-listed firm made a first-quarter net profit of Dhs58.24 million ($15.86 million) compared with Dhs47.84 million a year earlier.

HSBC’s Oman Unit Posts 46% Q1 Profit Slump

The bank made a net profit of 3.1 million rials ($8.1 million) in the opening three months of 2014, compared to 5.7 million rials in the same period of 2013.

UAE’s Etisalat Signs 3.15bn Euro Loan For Maroc Telecom Buy

This loan is split between a 2.1 billion euro one-year bridge loan and a 1.05 billion three-year portion, Etisalat said.

Kuwait Issues New Rules For Increasing Company Stakes

At present, investors wishing to raise their stake in a firm to more than 30 per cent must offer to buy all of its shares under the same price and conditions.

Saudi Arabia Has 26 More Cases Of MERS Virus, 10 Dead

The 143 cases announced since the start of April represent a 73 per cent jump in total infections in Saudi Arabia this month.

Kuwait Signs LNG Import Deal With Qatargas

Rising air conditioning demand during summer and a lack of domestic supply means Kuwait needs to import more gas each year to run its power plants.

Industries Qatar Q1 Net Profit Falls 38%

Revenue for the quarter was 1.32 billion riyals against 1.67 billion riyals in the prior-year period, it said in a statement.

Bahrain Sentences Eight People To Life For Policeman Bomb Death

Eight men planted a homemade bomb close to where police usually erected a checkpoint during protests, before setting tyres on fire and blocking the road to lure policemen to the site.

UAE Regulator Cuts Minimum Sukuk Size, Eases Securities Borrowing

The changes are part of plans to introduce at least two new rules covering the stock exchanges every year, a top official said.

UAE College Students Contributed $66m To US Economy In 2013

The number of UAE students studying in the US rose to 2,256 in 2012/2013, official figures show.

UAE Etisalat Profit Rises As Revenue And Subscribers Grow

The telco made a net profit of Dhs2 billion ($544.5 million) in the three months to March 31, according to a company statement.

High Costs Holding Back UAE E-Commerce Purchases

Around 31 per cent of the UAE’s online shoppers said that they had stopped online purchases due to extra costs.

Two More Dubai Hotels For Viceroy

Brace of city hotels to complement upcoming Palm Jumeirah resort

Kuwait Finance House Says CEO To Retire From May 1

Mohammed al-Omar has asked to resign and will retire from the beginning of next month, KFH said in a bourse statement.

Saudi PetroRabigh Says Oil Unit Back After Maintenance

Work on the unit, which lasted a month from March 27, was originally due to finish on April 19 but was extended by a week.

Saudi Arabia Says Has 10 More Cases In MERS Outbreak

Saudi Arabia has now had 323 confirmed cases of MERS, of which 94 have been fatal.

Qatar’s Nakilat Q1 Profit Rises 17%

The firm made a profit of 206.3 million riyals ($56.66 million) in the three months to March 31.

Fog Disrupts 14 Abu Dhabi Flights

This morning sees the second round of diversions in as many months

Tommy Weir: Playing With Economic Bubbles

Bubbles are a natural part of Dubai’s growth cycle, writes the author of ’10 Tips For Leadership In The Middle East’.

Saudi Arabia Says MERS Virus Cases Top 300, 5 More Die

In total, 92 people have died of MERS in Saudi Arabia, the ministry said on its website.

First Dubai IPO In Five Years Sees Surge Of Interest As Economy Booms

Investors subscribed Dhs10 billion ($2.7 billion) to the fixed offer of 275 million shares in Marka , which were priced at Dhs1 each.

FIFA Probe Into Qatar World Cup Vote May Be Over By June

FIFA’s investigation was launched last year into alleged corruption surrounding the voting procedure for the 2018 and 2022 World Cups, awarded to Russia and Qatar respectively.

ENBD Needs To See More Dubai World Progress To Reclassify Exposure

Emirates NBD is Dubai World’s biggest creditor with an exposure of more than Dhs9 billion($2.5 billion), against which it has set aside provisions of five per cent

Saudi Denies Umrah Cancellations Over MERS Fears

The Haj ministry said that it is yet to receive directives from health officials about the MERS-coronavirus being an epidemic.

New Qatar Airport To Open Next Week After Delay

Initially budget airlines will operate at the airport, while other airlines will start services there in May, the airport authority said.

Five Minutes With…Benoy Kurien, GM, Al Hamra Real Estate Development

The property development industry is all about providing value to homeowners and investors, says Benoy Kurien, general manager of Al Hamra Real Estate Development.

Dubai’s Emirates NBD Q1 Net Profit Jumps 25%

The lender made a net profit of Dhs1.04 billion ($283.7 million) in the three months to March 31, a statement from the bank said.

Aldar’s Growth Will Be ‘Market-Focused’- Senior Official

The state-owned developer is focusing on developing mid-tier real estate projects in Abu Dhabi.

Union Willing To Enter Negotiations To Aid Etihad-Alitalia Talks

Etihad has so far refused to negotiate with Italy’s unions, which have sunk negotiations between Alitalia and other bidders in the past.

Dubai’s Emaar Properties Says Profits To Quadruple By 2018

Much of Emaar’s growth is expected to come from projects worth billions of dollars within Dubai.