Former Army Chief Sisi Poised For Victory In Egypt Election

Sisi’s sole competitor is Hamdeen Sabahi, a leftist politician who finished third in the 2012 election.

Bahrain Says No Plans To Return Ambassador To Qatar Soon

Saudi Arabia, Bahrain and the UAE recalled their ambassadors from Doha in March.

Etihad-Owned Air Berlin Considers Splitting In Two

Air Berlin could be divided into a unit that offers traditional scheduled flights and another that flies to tourist destinations.

Stock News: Qatar Rallies Ahead Of MSCI Upgrade

Doha’s index has risen 26.5 per cent so far this year.

Etihad Launches Freighter Operations To Uganda’s Entebbe

The service is expected to carry large quantities of electronics and textiles to the Ugandan city.

Saudi Savola Sells Kazakhstan Edible Oil Unit For $28.5m

Savola said it has made a capital gain of SAR17 million from the sale.

Samsung May Unveil ‘Watch-Phone’ As Early As June

The new smartwatch will be able to make or receive calls without having to be tethered to a mobile phone, say reports.

Etisalat Scraps Buyout Offer To Maroc Telecom Minority Shareholders

Etisalat paid 4.14 billion euros ($5.7 billion) for Paris-listed Vivendi’s stake in Maroc Telecom.

UAE Businessman BR Shetty Buys Forex Firm Travelex

Dr. Shetty is the owner of money transfer service UAE Exchange, which has over six million customers in 30 countries.

UAE To Continue Political, Economic Support To Egypt After Poll

The UAE has welcomed Sisi’s rise and the army’s crackdown on the Muslim Brotherhood.

Bahraini Rights Activist Free After Two Years In Jail

Nabeel Rajab, founder of the Bahrain Centre for Human Rights, was found guilty of organising and participating in illegal protests.

Qatar Fund Commits $2bn Investment To Russia

The amount will be allocated via joint investments with state-backed private equity fund the Russian Direct Investment Fund.

UAE Banks Tap Australian Debt Opportunities

National Bank of Abu Dhabi, First Gulf Bank, Emirates NBD and Abu Dhabi Commercial Bank have issued kangaroo bonds this year.

Calling All Telecoms Firms In The Middle East

Regional telecom operators are grappling with new business models and growing competition. Enterprise provider SAP says it can help.

Revealed: Seven Key Lessons For Brands

Companies need to learn from brand failures to avoid mistakes, according to brand research firm Millward Brown.

Etihad Contests Australian Report, Says It Gets Loans, Not Subsidies

Abu Dhabi-based carrier responds to claims made in Australian paper.

Sharjah Residential Rents Increase

The emirate saw a 4.5 per cent rise in prices during the first quarter of 2014.

UAE Calls For Greater Coordination In GCC Economic Integration Plans

The comments were made at the 24th meeting of the GCC Ministerial Committee for Planning and Development in Kuwait.

Sony CEO: Not Thinking Of Selling Or Shutting TV Business

Sony plans to turn its struggling TV business into a separate entity – Sony Visual Products Inc – within a few months.

RAK Mall Launches UAE’s First In-Store Go-Karting Facility

The 10,000 sq ft drift go-karting circuit will be operated by Italian engineering company Augusta Re Consulting.

Qatar’s Ooredoo Signs $1bn Loan Deal To Repay Existing Debt

Ooredoo will use the new facility to repay a $750 million loan due in May 2015.

Saudi Arabian Interests Buy About 600,000 T Feed Barley

It was priced between $250 and $255 a tonne, traders said.

Documents Reveal Etihad Received Royal Funding – Australian Daily

The loan for the state carrier required no repayments until 2027, reported the Australian Financial Review.

Iran President Says Nuclear Talks At Tough Juncture, Deal Possible

The lack of progress in talks that ended last week in Vienna had raised doubts over a breakthrough by the July 20 deadline.

Saudi’s Dar Al Arkan Raises $400m From Sukuk Issue

The developer attracted a final order book of more than $1 billion for its five year sukuk.

Jumeirah To Enter Mauritius

New resort will open in 2018 and complements its two properties in the Maldives

Iranians Arrested For “Happy” Video Freed

The six youngsters were detained for what police called their “obscene” behaviour, one of them said in an online posting.

Qatar Falls, UAE Maintains Position In World Competitiveness Yearbook

Qatar dropped to 19th while the UAE maintained its 8th place in the IMD ranking.

Investors Will Bear Brunt If Dubai’s Property Market Crashes – Analyst

New report finds banks and property developers in the UAE are more conservative and better prepared this time round.

Bahraini Teenager Dies After Clashes With Police – Activists

The Gulf state has suffered low-level civil unrest since mass protests in 2011.