Kuwaiti Tweeter Denies Blasphemy

A Kuwait man accused of insulting the Prophet Mohammad on Twitter has said that his account was hacked.

ME Airlines See 23% Rise In Passengers

The strong performance of regional airlines in February this year, suggests that the region has now “fully recovered,” said IATA.

Foreign Access To Saudi Bourse Will Be Slow

The opening up of the Kingdom’s stock market to foreigners will be gradual, Saudi Arabia’s capital market regulator has said.

Majority Of UAE Workers Expect Pay Rise

According to a new survey, 63 per cent of employees in the UAE expect a wage hike in the next 12 months.

Poor Service Fails GCC Banks

While regional banks are reporting good growth rates, customer service has to improve, warns a new study.

Etihad’s Revenues Soar In Q1 2012

The Abu Dhabi -based carrier recorded a 28 per cent year-on-year rise in revenues during the first quarter of this year.

Royal Jordanian In Merger Talks

The airline is struggling with rising fuel costs and increasing competition in the region.

Korea Eyes More Nuclear Plants In UAE

Korea Electric Power Corp, which is already building four nuclear power plants in the UAE, will begin talks to construct four more in the country.

Scaling Green Heights

In between climbing mountains and running his eco-friendly travel company, Omar Samra has a chat with Aarti Nagraj.

Drydocks Files For Insolvency Protection

The move is expected to force all the creditors of the Dubai-based shipbuilding unit to agree to its $2.2 billion debt-restructuring plan.

$20m Boost For ME SMEs

RED, Abraaj’s small and mid-cap investment platform, has invested $20 million in the region so far this year.

DFM Suspends Trading In Al Mazaya

Update: The Kuwaiti developer’s shares have now resumed trading on Dubai Financial Market.

Kuwait’s Bourse Suspends Trade In 19 Firms

The companies, which failed to report earnings on time, join 12 other firms suspended earlier this year.

SEC Receives $1.4bn Loan

Saudi Electricity Company will use the amount, loaned by a group of international banks, to build a power plant in Rabigh.

A Wing And A Prayer

Strata, Abu Dhabi’s aerospace parts manufacturer has become a worldwide name in just two years.

HSBC Buys Lloyds Assets In UAE

The acquisition includes the retail, commercial and corporate banking businesses of Lloyds in the country.

OPEC Output Rises In March

The oil supply from the OPEC nations in March this year increased to its highest level since October 2008.

Zain Confirms Dividend Issue

The Kuwait telco also said it would back a subscription by its Saudi affiliate.

Arab Multinationals Spread Wings

The GCC is among the least economically integrated regions in the world. But that is changing.

Supply Offsets Iran: Brent Nears $124

Oil edges down as US crude stocks offset Iran fears.

DP World Profit Rises to $683 Million

The UAE-founded international ports company has cut its debts.

DIB Repays $750 million Sukuk

The bank said that it repaid the five-year Sukuk from its own resources.

The Great Iraq Threat

Saudi Arabia is right to be concerned about the rise of new hydrocarbon superpowers, writes Yadullah Ijtehadi.

Saudi Plans Ambitious Nuclear Programme

The Kingdom is planning to spend more than $100 billion to establish 16 nuclear energy plants in the country.

Tracing The Money Trail

As private investors from the GCC divest large portions of their wealth offshore, Aarti Nagraj investigates where the money is headed.

Dubai Drydocks To Restructure $2.2bn Loan

Dubai’s ship building unit will ask its syndicated lenders to sign a lock-up agreement.

Global Shoppers Spend $497m During DSF

Interestingly, visitors from Russia were the biggest spenders in the UAE during the Dubai Shopping Festival, according to Visa.

JAFZA Eyes Loan Launch

Dubai’s Jebel Ali Free Zone is planning to launch a syndicated loan to partly refinance its $2 billion Sukuk maturing in November.

World Oil Import Bill May Hit $2trn

The International Energy Agency has warned that if crude oil prices don’t fall, oil import bills may soar to record levels this year.

Pension Fund Will Benefit UAE Expats

As officials in Dubai complete the study for an expatriate pension scheme, experts say that the move will protect workers and improve the economy.