Saudi Arabia To Spend $800m On Land For Riyadh Metro

Last week the government awarded $22.5 billion in contracts to three foreign-led consortia for the metro system.

UAE Fuel Stations Resume Credit Card Payments

Card payments, suspended in 2007, will resume with a charge of Dhs2 for all fuel purchases made.

Dubai Developer Deyaar Q2 Net Profit Rises 47%

Deyaar, one of the worst hit during Dubai’s property market crash, posted a second quarter net profit of Dhs27.3 million.

China Completes Construction On World’s Second Tallest Tower

Shanghai Tower will reach up to 632 metres high, around 200 metres shorter than Dubai’s Burj Khalifa.

Dubai Property Brokers Net Dhs785m In Commission In H1 2013

The value of commissions, earned by property intermediaries, companies and individuals helps in assessing the value of growth in the real estate sector.

Qatar Despatches First LNG Shipment For Egypt

Doha has promised Egypt five LNG shipments in total to help meet its energy needs.

Kuwait Forms New Cabinet, Names Al-Shamali Oil Minister

The July 27 parliamentary election brought in an assembly seen as more amenable to the government.

Iranians May Have Abducted Briton In Dubai -UK Government Source

Abbas Yazdi, a British-Iranian citizen, was reported missing on June 25.

Qatar May Alter Foreign Policy But No U-Turn Expected

The tiny state provided much of the armed muscle behind the Arab rebellions.

Luring Emirati Talent To Finance Remains A Challege

Attracting Emirati talent into the finance sector will be a long haul process.

Steely Agenda: Gulf States Aim High In Aluminium Market

The Gulf is striving to tap its cheap energy supply to become a global aluminium heavyweight, writes Peter Shaw-Smith.

Review: Canon EOS 100D

The world’s smallest and lightest camera packs in a lot of punch.

Bahrain King Toughens Anti-Terrorism Laws, Rights Groups Cry Foul

A protest movement in Bahrain has called for rallies on August 14.

Middle East Carriers Record 12.1% Passenger Growth In June

Global passenger demand showed a year-on-year growth of six per cent.

Waldorf Astoria Opens First Hotel In UAE

Hilton’s ultra-luxurious brand has opened a 346-room hotel in Ras Al Khaimah.

Etihad Says Jet Deal Deadline Extended Until Aug End

The Abu Dhabi carrier is awaiting Indian regulatory approval to acquire a $379 million stake in Jet Airways.

UAE’s Etihad To Acquire 49% Stake In Serbia’s JAT Airways

Under the deal signed with the Serbian government, Etihad will provide a $40 million loan facility to JAT.

DFG Sells 30.5% Stake In Malaysia’s Bank Islam

The sale transaction worth $550 million concluded on July 31.

BAE Sees Multi-Billion Dollar Saudi Jet Deal Agreed In Second Half

BAE has been locked in pricing negotiations with Saudi Arabia over the Gulf state’s order of 72 jets since 2007.

UAE Cooling Firm Tabreed’s Q2 Net Profit Jumps 37%

The Dubai-listed firm posted a net profit of Dhs79.4 million in the second quarter of the year.

Iftars, Suhours Boost Dubai Hotel Revs During Ramadan

With hotels battling the double dampener of Ramadan and summer, firms are boosting their coffers through iftar and suhour offerings.

Saudi’s Prince Alwaleed Loses UK Court Battle Over Gaddafi Jet

A British court ordered the Prince to pay a $10-million commission to Daad Sharab, who brokered the sale of the jet.

Eid Holidays Announced For UAE’s Private Sector

Private sector employees will either get a break from August 8-9 or August 9-10, depending on the sighting of the moon.

Qatar Dreamliner Returns To Service After 10-Day Hiatus

The Qatari airline said that the 787 jet was out of service for what it described as a “minor” technical issue.

Dubai Receives 5.58 Million Tourists In H1 2013

Visitor numbers from Saudi Arabia rose by 31.6 per cent during the first half of the year, said DTCM.

Dubai’s New Design District Attracting International Designers

The emirate’s recently launched project is receiving strong interest from designers, design academies and boutique hotels, says developer.

Bahrain Petroleum Says Hydrocracker Back On After Brief Outage

The unit had been shut down to work on a gas compressor.

Budget Carrier Jazeera Profit Soars By 95%

The airline recorded passenger growth of 4.1 per cent, along with a load factor of 70 per cent in H1 2013.

UAE’s Abraaj Group Exits Investment In Ghana’s HFC Bank

The investment firm sold its stake in HFC to Republic Bank, an independent Caribbean bank, for an undisclosed sum.

Rights Group Condemns Lashing, Jailing Of Saudi Blogger

Raif Badawi, who started the ‘Free Social Liberals’ website to discuss the role of religion in Saudi Arabia, was sentenced on Tuesday.