Air Arabia Jordan To Launch Services On May 18

Sharjah-based Air Arabia, which bought a 49 per cent stake in Petra Airlines in January, has rebranded the airline as Air Arabia Jordan.

Dubai’s Emirates NBD Sets IPTs For $500m, 5-Year Bond Issue

Rated Baa1/A+ by Moody’s and Fitch, ENBD has mandated HSBC, Morgan Stanley, Standard Chartered Bank and itself as bookrunners.

Saudi Central Bank Foreign Assets Drop In March To Cover Budget Gap

Net foreign assets reached SAR2.59 trillion in March, their lowest level since July 2013.

Qatar’s Barwa Real Estate Q1 Net Profit Surges

Barwa made a net profit of QAR3.2 billion in the three months to March 31.

Saudi King Resets Succession To Cope With Turbulent Times

Interior Minister Mohammed bin Nayef has been appointed King Salman’s new heir, replacing Prince Muqrin.

Yemen’s Houthis To Investigate Public Figures, Including Nobel Laureate

An NGO has filed a complaint with the public prosecutor accusing 39 prominent figures, including Tawakul Karman, of treason.

Oil Dips As Oversupply Outweighs Saudi Royal Reshuffle

In a surprise move, Saudi King Salman on Wednesday appointed his nephew, Deputy Crown Prince Mohammed bin Nayef, as the new heir apparent.

Aramco CEO Khalid al-Falih Appointed Saudi Health Minister And Chairman

Falih’s replacement as head of Aramco, which he had led since January 2009, was not immediately named.

Saudi-Led Planes Bomb Sanaa Airport To Stop Iranian Plane Landing

Iran said the plane was carrying humanitarian aid to Sanaa.

Saudi Arabia Arrests 93 ISIL suspects, Foils U.S. Embassy Attack

Among those arrested, at least 65 are Saudi nationals, the report said.

Huawei Releases New Honor Budget Smartphone, To Be Sold Online

The Honor 4C phone has a 5-inch display and starts at 799 yuan ($129).

Dubai House Prices Down 2-3% In Q1 2015 – Asteco

Rents in the emirate, on average, remained flat during the first quarter of the year, the report found.

Tougher Mortgage Rules Spark Plunge In Riyadh Property Sales -JLL

The number of house sales in Riyadh between the time the new lending limits were introduced and the end of last month fell 70 per cent from a year earlier.

Saudi Arabia Says Its Crude Exports Fell Slightly In Feb

The Kingdom shipped 7.35 million bpd of crude oil in February this year, down from 7.474 million in January.

Oman Plans Floating Storage For DME Crude Delivery

The storage will increase monthly trade volumes on the DME by two million barrels.

Gulf Investors, Libyan Firm Buy Largest Eastern Libyan Cement Maker

The Libyan Cement Company has three plants in eastern Libya but only one is operational, producing 300,000 tonnes annually.

Bahrain Says Arrests 28 Planning Attacks In Villages

The interior ministry did not name the detainees, say when they were held or elaborate on the nature of the planned attacks.

Gulf Arab Leaders To Meet Next Week Ahead Of Obama Summit

The summit, in Riyadh, is expected to touch on Iran’s nuclear programme and developments in Yemen.

Dubai’s Nshama Launches ‘Safi’, Units From Dhs350,000 In Town Square

The new Safi community will feature studios and one, two and three bedroom apartments.

Second Suspect In Saudi Police Killings Arrested – Ministry

The suspect, Nawaf Sharif Samir al-Onaizi, was reportedly hiding in a desert area northwest of Riyadh.

Kuwait To Freeze Expat Numbers

New expats will only be allowed to enter the country to replace those leaving, according to reports.

UAE’s Etisalat To Raise Up To $500m Through 2019 Bond Tap

Last June, the company sold $4.3 billion worth of maiden bonds in four tranches.

UAE Telco Du Q1 Net Profit Drops 0.6%, Misses Estimates

The firm made a net profit of Dhs487.1 million in the three months to March 31.

Dubai’s Ruler Approves Dhs500m Union Museum Project

The museum, located next to the Union House in Dubai, will showcase the events leading to the formation of the UAE.

Abu Dhabi Rolls Out Red Carpet For Market Makers, May Outweigh Dubai

Both the DFM and ADX say they are in talks to attract market makers.

U.S. Blames Houthi Battlefield Moves For Renewed Saudi Strikes

Riyadh announced last week that it was ending its nearly five-week-old bombing campaign, except in places where the Houthis were advancing.

WhatsApp can officially hide online status, announces rollout of Communities

Facebook Launches Video Calling In Messenger App

Messenger, with more than 600 million users, now has a video icon at the top right corner of its screen.

ISIL Kills Five Journalists Working For Libyan TV Station

The reporters, working for Barqa TV, had been missing since August.

Qatar Navigation Says Q1 Net Profit Up 4% On Core Business Growth

Milaha’s core units – Maritime & Logistics, Gas & Petrochem and Offshore – posted a combined increase in profitability of 71 per cent year on year.

UAE’s Dubal Holding Looks Into Buying Stakes In Energy Projects

The firm is looking for equity interests related to coal, solar, gas, and other alternative sources of energy.