Dubai Festival City Mall In Major Refurbishment Programme

The first phase of the redevelopment has been completed, and includes new stores and an upcoming leisured component.

Kuwaiti Faces Guantanamo Transfer Hearing After Security Assurances

Fouzi Khalid Abdullah al-Awda, 37, may have fought alongside al Qaeda and Taliban, according to a U.S. Defense Department prisoner profile.

UAE Gains Three Slots In Global FDI Confidence Index

A strategic location, well-developed infrastructure, and a large talent base has positioned the UAE favourably among investors.

Midday Work Ban For UAE Workers To Begin On June 15

Firms found to be flouting the three-month long midday work ban will be fined Dhs15,000, the labour ministry said in a statement.

Landmark To Open 50 New UAE Stores By End-2015, To Hire 2,500

A bulk of the new openings will be in Abu Dhabi’s Yas Mall, with stores also planned for Sharjah.

Saudi’s Shoura Council Seeks Probe Into Haramain Rail Project Delays

The project is now also costlier by $2 billion, according to the Saudi government.

Oman’s Raysut Cement Appoints New CEO

The Sultanate’s largest cement firm by market value has appointed Salem Alawi Mohammed Baabood as chief executive.

UAE’s Dana Gas Says Won’t Comment On Rumours That Drove Up Stock

Shares in Dana Gas shot up on Tuesday, hitting a four-month intraday high, on speculation the firm had won an arbitration case aimed at recovering money owed to it abroad.

Saudi Airman Convicted In Rape Of Boy In Las Vegas Seeks New Trial

Prosecutors say the official, who was visiting Las Vegas while temporarily stationed at Lackland Air Force Base in Texas, lured the boy to a room and sexually assaulted him.

Saudi King Invites Countries To Attend Donor Conference For Egypt

The monarch said any country that did not contribute to Egypt’s future despite having the ability to do so would “have no future place among us”.

Saudi MERS Data Review Shows Big Jump In Number Of Deaths

The sharp increase in deaths now attributed to MERS means the mortality rate from the virus in Saudi Arabia is now 41 per cent, instead of the 33 per cent previously thought.

Qatar Allowing Freed Taliban Men To Move Freely In Country -Gulf official

Five Afghan Taliban prisoners were freed in exchange for a US soldier.

UAE Ranks As Most Popular Destination For Migrating Professionals – LinkedIn

India, the UK and Pakistan were the top three countries from where professionals moved to the UAE, a LinkedIn study found.

Saudi Arabia Sacks Deputy Health Minister Over Handling Of MERS

Ziad Memish has been criticised by some international scientists for his handling of the MERS virus that has infected 575 people in the Kingdom.

Sony Xperia T3 Smartphone To Launch In UAE In July, Priced Dhs1799

Billed as being ‘ultra-slim’, Sony’s next generation Xperia comes in a stainless steel frame and weighs 148gms.

Abu Dhabi Economy Grows 5.2% In 2013, Slower Than Expected

The contribution of the hydrocarbon sector edged down to 51.4 per cent in 2013 from 52.4 per cent in 2012.

Emirates To Start A380 Frankfurt Services

One of the airline’s three daily services to be upgraded to A380s from September, complementing double-decker A380 flights into Munich

Dubai Police Adds Luxury Motorcycle To Fleet

A Can Am Spyder joins the police’s fleet of luxury supercars.

Cooling Firm Tabreed Wins $1.6bn Contract From UAE Armed Forces

Tabreed’s first district cooling plant was commissioned by the UAE armed forces in 1998.

Abu Dhabi’s TDIC Secures Financing To Repay $2bn Bonds In 2014

TDIC is building iconic museums such as the Louvre and Guggenheim in Abu Dhabi.

Saudi Business Activity Growth Slows In May

While output growth continued to accelerate, growth in new orders dropped sharply.

Drake & Scull Engineering Awarded Two Deals Worth Dhs259m

The deals were awarded by a consortium consisting of UAE contractors Arabtec, CCC and Drake & Scull Construction.

Dubai’s Tourism Authority Starts Process To Issue Holiday Homes Licenses

The first phase of applications is restricted to entities that intend to operate a portfolio of at least 20 properties in Dubai.

Qatar Image Would Suffer More Than Economy If World Cup Lost

Qatar is wealthy enough to handle such economic dislocation without long-term damage, analysts say.

Abu Dhabi’s TDIC Narrows 2013 Loss On Higher Revenues

The company made a net loss of Dhs1.13 billion ($307.7 million) in 2013 compared to a loss of Dhs2.15 billion in the prior year.

UAE’s Etisalat Adds Banks, May Print Four-Tranche Bond – Sources

Etisalat may issue paper of five and 10 years duration denominated in U.S. dollars, as well as offerings in euros with lifespans of seven and 12 years.

Bahrain Budget Gap Doubles In 2013, Spending Rise Lowest Since 2009

State spending rose by 2.8 per cent to BD3.4 billion in 2013, some 14 per cent below the budget plan.

Dubai’s Design District On Track For Q1 2015 Launch

The development has received a positive reaction from international brands, confirms senior official.

Dubai Property Agents Fined Dhs50,000 For Breaching RERA Rules

Dubai’s real estate authority has also issued an official notice to all registered brokers warning them to refrain from cold calling property owners who do not wish to sell.

Saudi Mobily Cuts Profit By $90m After Rival Etihad Atheeb Scraps Tie-up

Atheeb said it wants to cancel the deal with Mobily “due to some technical and logistical difficulties”.