Saudi Arabia Calls On EU To Arm Syrian Rebels

The European Union lifted restrictions on arming the rebels in May. Britain and France said they would not send weapons before August 1.

Protesters Ransack Egypt’s Ruling Brotherhood Headquarters

Medical and security sources said that at least eight people had been killed in the violence at the besieged building.

Telecom Italia Denies Report On Qatari Talks

Reports suggested that telecoms operator was in talks with Qatari funds to sell a stake in its fixed-line business.

Seven Saudis Jailed For Urging Protests On Facebook – Human Rights Watch

HRW said the men were detained in September 2011 and had spent a year and a half in prison before being tried by a special tribunal.

Bahrain Economic Growth Accelerates Strongly In Q1

Real GDP growth quickened to 4.2 per cent in the first three months of 2013.

Dubai’s MAF Plans Dhs3bn Expansion To Malls, Hotels

Majid Al Futtaim plans to launch two new hotels and upgrade Mall of the Emirates and Deira City Centre and build a new cinema complex.

UAE’s Dana Gas Says Makes New Discovery In Egypt

The Begonia-1 discovery well produced 9.4 million cubic feet per day of gas and 133 barrels of condensate during initial test drilling.

Saudi Mobily Signs $650m Financing Deal With Ericsson

The operator said the deal would be the first of its kind in Saudi Arabia’s telecom sector and would boost the company’s free cash flow.

Kerry Squeezes In More Talks At End Of Mideast Mission

The top U.S. diplomat has met both Palestinian president Mahmoud Abbas and Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

Dubai’s ENOC ‘Investigating’ Sri Lanka Diesel Cargo Quality

Sri Lanka returned a 40,000-tonnes diesel cargo shipment from ENOC on Thursday saying it was “not up to the required specifications”.

Abu Dhabi Developers Aldar, Sorouh Merger Effective

The merged entity, called Aldar Properties, has assets of over Dhs46 billion and a market capitalisation of around Dhs16.7 billion.

Emaar, Meraas Launch Affordable Hotel Brand, Dubai Inn

The new hotels will be located across the city, and aim to support Dubai’s goal of attracting 20 million visitors by 2020.

Al Jazeera Hires Hundreds As It Prepares To Debut In America

Al Jazeera America, with headquarters in New York, plans to launch in late-August this year.

Kuwait Fund Says More Than Doubled UK Investment In Past 10 Years

Kuwait Investment Authority, which has around $342 billion assets under management, has increased investment in Britain to over $24 billion.

Anti-Bribery And Corruption Legislation In The Middle East

Are international anti-bribery and corruption laws relevant to MENA companies? Two experts debate the issue.

Former Qatari PM Drove Bold, Maverick Foreign Policy

Sheikh Hamad was replaced as prime minister and foreign minister in a cabinet reshuffle following the accession of 33-year-old Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad al-Thani as emir.

Mobile Advertising Calls For Profits

With many GCC consumers now owning two handsets, mobile advertising represents a golden untapped opportunity.

The Makings Of A Solar Superpower?

Solar power is supercharging the alternative energy industry, but can the Middle East become a leading global provider?

Gulf’s Corporate Banks At Peak Levels

Corporate lenders in the GCC are falling behind their global counterparts in other areas however.

Dubai’s Emirates Plans New Aircraft Lease Deal For A380

The airline plans to lease the Airbus A380 aircraft from a finance company that will issue $630 million of bond-type certificates to fund the purchase.

ME Airlines Will Need Almost 2,000 New Aircraft By 2031

Regional carriers are expected to see passenger traffic rise by 6.2 per cent annually over the next 20 years, says Airbus.

Qatar Lifts 2013 GDP Growth Forecast To 5.3%

The Gulf state upped its forecast from 4.8 per cent, citing changes to its expected output of oil and gas.

Rolls-Royce “Clearly Fell Short” With Qantas Engine Failure

ATSB report found oil leak led to a fire in the Trent 900 engine, which caused the break-up of a turbine disc and aircraft damage

Al Jazeera Director-General Resigns To Take Up Government Post

Ahmed bin Jassim al-Thani said he was leaving the network “to serve his country”, without indicating which government post he was taking.

Prince Alwaleed Sued Over Private Jet Sale To Gaddafi

Prince Alwaleed bin Talal is expected to give evidence in a London court next week.

Mursi Says Polarised Politics Threatens Democracy

The president blamed unspecified “enemies of Egypt” for sabotaging the democratic system.

New Qatar Emir Says Will Not “Take Direction” In Foreign Affairs

In his first speech as head of state Sheikh Tamim said he would follow in the “path” of his father, architect of an assertive foreign policy.

Dubai-Based App Wally Receives Dhs1.5m Funding

The personal finance application has 100,000 active users and plans to introduce a new planning and budgeting feature.

Kuwait Cabinet Sets Parliamentary Vote For July 27

This is the sixth assembly contest in seven years in the Gulf country.

Qatar To Change PM, Foreign Minister Under New Emir

Sheikh Hamad bin Jassim al-Thani will step down after Emir Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa al-Thani handed power to his son.