Pakistan Central Bank Blocks Kuwait’s Noor From Selling Meezan Bank Stake

Pakistan’s central bank stated the prospective buyer had not met its standards for suitability.

Philips To Acquire 51% Of Lighting Firm In Saudi For $235m

The acquisition of General Lighting Company will create a new joint venture, Philips Lighting Saudi Arabia.

Majid Al Futtaim To Invest Dhs750m In VOX Cinemas Expansion

VOX plans to open five new cinemas in addition to its existing project pipeline.

Saudi Arabia’s Food Inflation Rate Drops To 4.6% In February

Saudi Arabia’s food inflation rate in February was the lowest since November 2012.

UAE Sets Up New Medical Institute To Boost Healthcare Sector

The cabinet endorsed the establishment of the UAE National Institute for Medical Specialisations to improve training facilities in the country.

Gold Near Six-Month High On Safe-Haven Bids Amid Ukraine Crisis

Spot gold was trading flat at $1,381.34 an ounce by 0319 GMT, after earlier hitting $1,391.76 – its highest since Sept. 9.

Dubai’s DME Signs Pact With Japan’s TOCOM To Develop Energy Contracts

The collaboration will help the bourses offer energy products such as liquefied natural gas and electricity.

Deyaar’s Newly Launched Atria Project Sold Out ‘Within Hours’

The project registered Dhs500 million in sales during the opening hours of the launch.

Saudi C.Bank: China Yuan Good Diversifier, But Far From Reserve Currency

Saudi Arabia’s central bank reserves, the vast majority of which are believed to be in U.S. dollars, grew to a record $718 billion in January.

UAE, Abu Dhabi Extend $20bn Of Dubai Debt

The debt is being rolled over for five years at a one per cent annual interest rate, WAM said in an official statement.

Majority Of UAE Firms To Hire 10 Staff Over Next Three Months

Receptionists, accountants and human resource professionals are the most sought after groups among the employers in the UAE.

Virgin Mobile Middle East Plans Saudi Launch By June

Virgin Mobile Middle East and Africa was one of the winning bidders for three mobile virtual network operator (MVNO) licences in the kingdom.

Saudi C.Bank Gov Says Rates Reasonable, No Impact From Fed

Saudi Arabia, which pegs its riyal currency to the U.S. dollar, has kept its repo rate at 2.0 per cent since January 2009.

Damac Announces Sale Of Trump Estates In AKOYA Project

The project includes over 100 luxury villas, conceptualised by Donald Trump and his daughter Ivanka Trump.

Dubai’s Emaar Expects Listing Of Retail Unit Within Months -Chairman

Emaar is in the final stages of discussions with banks on the best way to conduct the listing, according to its chairman Mohammed Alabbar.

Saudi 2014 Economic Growth Of 4.4% Achievable – Central Bank Governor

Saudi Arabia’s central bank governor said that he expected the private sector to drive growth in the Kingdom.

First Half Of Omantel Share Sale 1.99 Times Subscribed

The sale required investors to place minimum orders of two million shares each.

Abu Dhabi Executive Council Appoints First Female Member

Amal Al Qubaisi was also the first woman to be elected to the UAE’s Federal National Council in 2006.

Dubai Approves Bridge To Link Mega Tourist Island Project

The Dh6 billion Bluewaters Island project will also be connected to the mainland via a monorail system and a footbridge.

Emaar Plans $2.5bn Listing Of Shopping Mall Unit

The proceeds “will be primarily distributed as dividend” to Emaar shareholders, the firm said.

New York Takes London’s Crown As World’s Top Financial Centre

Qatar, Dubai and Riyadh ranked 26, 29 and 31 respectively on the Global Financial Centres Index.

IBM Says It Has Not Given Client Data To The U.S. Government

Reports on Wednesday alleged the US government used websites to break into computers.

RAK Properties Adds More Units To Flamingo Villa Community

Flamingo Villas, the flagship development of RAK Properties, was launched during Cityscape last year.

UAE’s ADCB To Buy Back Further Shares In 2014 – CEO

Abu Dhabi Commercial Bank bought back seven per cent of its shares last year after it secured approval for a 10 per cent buyback.

Saudi Arabia Launches New Housing Scheme To Ease Shortage

Eligible citizens who submit requests through the new programme, ESKAN, are expected to be allocated homes within seven months.

Pictures: Waldorf Astoria Hotel In Dubai’s Palm Jumeirah

The 319-room hotel marks the Hilton luxury brand’s first entry into Dubai.

Abu Dhabi Airports Signs Fuel Services Deal With ADNOC

Both the companies will jointly invest in a new fuel farm and a hydrant system that will enhance the fuel storage capacity of the airport.

Malaysia Denies Missing Plane May Have Flown For Hours

The minister also said China’s release of satellite imagery of possible wreckage had been wrongly issued.

Egypt Says Two Brotherhood Members Arrested In The Gulf

The arrests are the first reported cases of Egypt’s Gulf allies detaining members of the Islamist group on its behalf.

Iran Says Seals Gas Export Deal With Oman

Three agreements were signed between Oman and Iran, one of which was an initial deal on building a gas pipeline linking Iran with the Sultanate.