Qataris Move To Snap Up IHG’s Paris Flagship Hotel Le Grand

The sale, which is not expected to complete until next year, continues IHG’s strategy of selling on its hotels and then managing them under contract.

Bahrain Accuses Qatar Of Luring Citizens To Switch Nationality

Bahrain News Agency quoted a senior official as saying that Qatar had “targeted specific families and singled out a particular category of people” with no consideration to Bahraini laws.

The Arabtec Question

Shares of Dubai-based construction firm Arabtec’s went on a roller-coaster ride last month, taking the wider Dubai Financial Market down with it. What went wrong?

Alitalia Set To Seal Etihad Investment, Secure jobs

The deal foresees Etihad taking a 49 per cent stake in Alitalia and investing 1.2 billion euros ($1.6 billion) in the airline over the next three years.

Emirates To Increase Services To Morocco

The Dubai-based carrier will add a second daily service to Morocco from September.

Dubai’s Amlak Says Debt Restructuring Proposal Approved

The company said that it would shortly make an initial payment to creditors of approximately Dhs2 billion ($545 million), with the remaining debt to be paid over a 12- year period.

DWC Traffic Surges In Q2 Due To Flight Relocations

The growth in passenger traffic was mainly due to the temporary shift of almost 600 flights from Dubai International during the runway upgrade project.

UAE To Award Infrastructure Projects Worth $15.18bn In 2014

Infrastructure project awards across the GCC are forecast to exceed $86 billion in 2014, up 77.8 per cent over 2013, a new report says.

Dubai Hopes To Submit Olympics Bid Within Eight Years – Official

The bidding process for the 2024 games is expected to begin in 2015, and the winning city will be revealed in 2017.

Emirates To Suspend Flights To Iraqi City Of Erbil From August 12

The Dubai-based airline said it will continue to operate flights to Basra and Baghdad.

Saudisation Conditions Force Closure Of 200,000 Companies

Limitations on hiring imposed by the Nitiqat nationalisation programme led to the closures.

Bahrain’s Ahli United Bank Q2 Profit Up 35.1%

The bank’s net attributable profit for the three months to June 30 was $125.9 million, compared with $93.2 million in the corresponding period of 2013.

Saudi Arabian Man Being Tested For Ebola Virus Dies

The ministry said it was working to trace the man’s route of travel and identify people he was in contact with.

Skai Holdings Sells Out All Suites In New Dubai Hotel Project

The hotel called ‘Suites in Skai’ had 234 hotel rooms, 234 one and two bedroom apartments and 33 penthouses for sale.

UAE Issues Military Cards For First Batch Of Emirati Recruits

The training for the first batch of conscripts will begin on August 30, state news agency WAM said.

Saudi Arabia Provides $1bn Aid To Lebanon’s Army

Lebanon has been buffeted by violence linked to the Syrian conflict, including rocket attacks, suicide bombings and gun battles.

Qatar Emir Issues Law Raising Foreign Ownership Limits For Stocks

The law, originally announced in late May, allows foreigners to own more than 49 per cent of a company in special cases.

Damac Acquires Dubailand Plot For $513m

The plot spread across 55 million square feet of land is almost 30 per cent larger than Damac’s current biggest project Akoya.

Lenovo Reveals September UAE Launch For New VIBE Z2 Pro Smartphone

The new device comes with a 6-inch screen and a 16MP rear camera and offers several photography features.

Etisalat Says Egyptian Unit Considering IPO

Etisalat Misr is planning a $500 million share sale on the Egyptian stock exchange, according to reports.

UAE’s Dana Gas Q2 Net Profit Jumps 70% On Higher Production

The Sharjah-based energy firm said its average production volume was up 17 per cent to 72,200 barrels of oil equivalent per day.

UAE-Based Time Hotels Inks Deal To Manage Red Sea Resort In Egypt

The hospitality firm will manage a beach resort comprising of a hotel and residences in the Sahl Haseesh development in Egypt.

Qatar Airways Passenger Arrested In UK For Fake Bomb Threat

The incident, which led to the closure of the northern England airport for 25 minutes, briefly sparked fears of a terrorism attack.

Regulations Make Dubai Property Sector “Stable” For Foreign Investors

Dubai’s real estate sector offers a number of medium to long-term investment options for foreign buyers, an expert says.

Dubai’s Depa Wins New Contracts Worth Dhs300m In Singapore, Netherlands

The contracts were awarded to subsidiaries of the interior contracting company.

Saudi Says Tests Man Suspected Of Contracting Ebola In Sierra Leone

The man, aged 40, was admitted in a hospital in Jeddah, the health ministry said.

Abu Dhabi Hotels Welcome 1.7m Guests In H1 2014

Occupancy rates across the emirate’s hotel and hotel apartments reached an average of 77 per cent during the first six months of the year.

Saudi July Non-Oil Business Growth Fastest Since September 2012

The Kingdom’s non-oil business sector was boosted by strong output and new orders, a survey showed.

UAE July Business Activity Growth Edges Down, Still High

The HSBC UAE Purchasing Managers’ Index was at 58 points last month, down from 58.2 points in June.

Emirates Starts Chicago Flights

New services to the ‘windy city’ provide Emirates with new destination and transfer opportunities