Smart solar palm trees power wi-fi, phones in Dubai

Two prototype palms have been installed – one at a beach near the Burj Al Arab hotel and the other at Zabeel Park

UAE cuts petrol prices by over 8% in September

The price of one litre of octane 95 gasoline will cost Dhs 1.96 from September 1

OPEC+meeting

Iran says some in OPEC do not want high oil price

The group will require approval from all countries to execute any market regulating measures, the official said

Saudi’s King Salman to visit the US in September

The monarch’s visit next month will be his first official trip to the US after ascending the throne earlier this year

Oman says committed to currency peg despite cheap oil

The plunge of oil prices since mid-2014 has put heavy pressure on Oman’s state budget, causing one-year dollar/rial forwards to rise as high as 1,000 points this week

Dubai’s DP World says in talks with Iran to launch port operations

The company said the plans are contingent on demand from customers and there is no dollar value yet on the company’s possible investment in Iran

Mega waterfront development planned for Sharjah

The mixed-use development will feature its own theme park and is estimated to house 200,000 residents when complete

Qatar Airways eases cabin crew policies on marriage and pregnancy

The airline’s previous policy authorised it to terminate the contracts of cabin crew staff if they married or became pregnant in the first five years of their employment

Dubai’s DP World H1 profit jumps 22%, acquisition helps

DP World’s revenue for the six months to June 30 was $1.90bn, up from $1.66bn a year earlier

Dubai needs stricter rules to govern private developers, says builder

The current slowdown will be beneficial for the real estate market by weeding out weaker developers, says RSG International chairman

Saudi military intercepts Scud missile fired by Yemeni forces

The Saudi military said it intercepted the missile and retaliated with air strikes on Yemeni territory

The world’s top five safest countries

Qatar ranks among the top 10 safest countries with a population of under five million

Saudi Arabia holding main suspect in 1996 Khobar bombing

The attack killed 19 U.S. service personnel and wounded almost 500 people

Etihad CEO: “Nobody else wanted to invest in Alitalia”

James Hogan says global investment is not a threat but a lifeline for the aviation industry

Saudi Arabia executes four people in one day, death penalties soar

The total number of judicial killings in the kingdom has reached 130 so far in 2015

UAE popular among female expats globally – survey

The country, however, did not make it to the top 10 most popular cities for expats globally due to its high cost of living and long working hours for foreigners

Domestic business lifts UAE’s NMC Health H1 profit 14.7%

NMC made an adjusted net profit of $46.9m in the first six months of this year up from $40.9m a year earlier

Yemen’s Al Qaeda denies it held British hostage

The militant group said in a statement via Twitter that there were no British hostages in its custody

Kuwait summons Iran envoy over disputed gas field reports

The off-shore gas field has been a bone of contention between Tehran and Kuwait since the 1960s

Abu Dhabi crown prince, Putin discuss stronger ties, Syria woes

Sheikh Mohamed Bin Zayed met with Russian President Vladimir Putin on Tuesday in Moscow

Freed UK hostage says ‘grateful’ to the UAE for the rescue mission

Bob Semple, a petroleum engineer, was working in the Hadramaut area in Yemen when he was kidnapped in February 2014

Making business sense of sustainable development

Public and private sector collaboration is key for a sustainable future

Dubai property slowdown due to tighter rules, not oil slump

Dubai has a low reliance on oil despite hydrocarbons providing three-quarters of the UAE’ consolidated revenue in 2014, according to credit agency Moody’

Kuwait boycott forces down price of “king of fish”

Consumers launched a Twitter campaign to boycott fishsellers after the price of pompfret rose considerably

Saudi reassures on riyal peg, forwards market pressure eases

The kingdom is expected to achieve economic growth in 2015 of 3 per cent

Emirates launches second A380 service to Frankfurt

The service, which will be effective from January 1, 2016, will add 1,155 seats to the route

Abu Dhabi crown prince begins two-day Russia visit

Sheikh Mohamed Bin Zayed will meet Russian President Vladimir Putin to discuss bilateral relations and regional issues

Abraaj sells stake in Condor Travels to Abu Dhabi-backed Carlyle Group

The company did not disclose the size of the stake that was sold or the value of the deal

Air Astana resumes Astana-Dubai route after five years

The Kazakh airline resumed operations between Dubai and Almaty in September last year

UAE’s Al Noor plans to double capacity after steady H1 -CEO

Al Noor made a net profit of $44.9m in the first six months of 2015 versus $45.6m a year earlier