Etihad-backed Alitalia unveils new cabins, services and livery

Seats and services are now more closely aligned with partner Etihad.

Emirates inks air-rail codeshare with France’s SNCF, adds 19 new destinations

The deal will help boost Emirates network in France and ease connectivity for passengers.

Foreign firms wary of Saudi expansion on opening up of bourse

Regulatory obstacles and uncertainty about the size of fund inflows are deterring foreign firms from undertaking any quick build-up in their staffing and office space in Riyadh.

Dubai Parks and Resorts begins leasing retail, dining units in Riverland

The entrance plaza will feature about 50 dedicated outlets along with various street dining options.

Dubai named fourth most popular city among international visitors

The emirate is expected to receive about 14.3 million international visitors this year, up by 8 per cent from 2014, a new study says.

Emaar Properties trims Egypt listing price, sees up to $334m float

The flotation will involve 600 million shares, equivalent to 12.99 per cent of the company, offered at a price between 3.5 pounds and 4.25 pounds.

FBI extends FIFA scrutiny to World Cup host bids of Russia, Qatar

The U.S. law enforcement official said the review of the bids would be part of a probe that goes beyond the indictments.

Saudi stadium plan scaled back as oil drop bites -sources

About 11 new grounds were to be built as a means of growing the game in the kingdom but sources said only two will be built as state spending is hit by low oil prices.

Five minutes with.. Chris Govier, GM, Middle East Operations, Xerox

Xerox’s new regional head is hoping to maintain the company’s position in the production space.

Qatar says ‘prejudice and racism’ behind criticism of 2022 World Cup

Foreign Minister Khaled al-Attiyah said the country was being unfairly targeted over allegations of graft in the vote that won it the World Cup.

Qatar says air strikes ineffective without Iraqi national dialogue

Qatar’s Foreign Minister Khaled al-Attiyah said the international community was not doing enough to pressure all parties in Iraq to start national reconciliation.

ISIL hackers targeting news organisations – report

News organisations of all sizes were found to be key targets for the terrorist organisation.

Saudi names suspects in mosque bombing, offers $1m bounty

The ministry also offered a $1.9 million reward for information that would avert any future attacks.

Low oil prices, regional tensions dent business confidence in the UAE

A new survey found a large quarter-on-quarter dip in UAE hiring during Q1 2015.

Qatar hits back at allegations of worker deaths in FIFA stadiums

The country said that not a single worker has died in its construction sites, dismissing rumours of 1,200 worker deaths.

Saudi may issue government bonds this year -IMF official

Bond issues are being considered after global oil prices plunged last year.

Dubai Emaar Properties beachfront project to cost $2.7 bn

The project will have 4,000 residential units, 300 hotel rooms, and 250,000 square metres of retail outlets.

UAE oil minister says correction not over yet

The minister was upbeat as he noted that the supply glut in the market has reduced significantly.

Emirates NBD expects 12-15% growth in retail business in 2015

Oil price volatility is not expected to impact Emirates NBD’s retail growth estimates, a senior official said.

42% of UAE employees find workplace stressful – report

A study of 564 UAE employees also found less than half believed their company took an interest in their wellbeing.

UAE non-oil business growth slows marginally in May – PMI

Output growth rose to a three-month high index reading of 62.8 points in May but the increase in new orders fell.

OPEC+meeting

Core Gulf OPEC members in ‘consensus’ on oil ceiling -delegate

A source within the group said the outlook for the oil market is positive, especially in the second half of this year.

Blatter quits FIFA; under investigation by U.S. prosecutors, FBI

Blatter announced his decision to step down at a hastily arranged news conference in Zurich, days after police arrested a number of senior FIFA officials.

Etihad starts Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner services to Brisbane

The service will replace Etihad’s daily one-stop flight via Singapore.

Five Saudi stocks to be closed to foreign investors -bourse

The Capital Markets Authority did not specify the reason for these stocks to be off-limits to foreign investors.

UAE tourist spending up 5% in Q1 2015 – report

American tourists accounted for 21 per cent of the overall UAE tourism spend in Q1 2015.

Saudi lost $49bn of foreign reserves in 4 months due to low oil prices

The kingdom’s foreign reserves fell to $683 billion in April, from $732 billion at the end of 2014, a new report shows.

UAE issues law against doping in horse races

The new rule prohibits the administration of banned substances to horses and lays out strict penalties to offenders.

IMF lifts outlook for Saudi GDP, sees bigger budget gap this year

Economic growth is expected to slow in 2016 as lower oil revenues hit state spending, the IMF said.

Abu Dhabi fund ADIA manages more of its billions in-house

The proportion of its assets managed by external fund managers fell to 65 per cent last year from 75 per cent in 2013, the authority said.