BlackBerry Unveils New Mid-Market Leap Smartphone

The phone, unveiled at the Mobile World Congress, would hit stores in US and European markets around April and be priced around $275.

Flydubai 2014 Net Profit Up 12.3% On Expanded Network

A total of 7.25 million passengers travelled with flydubai during the year.

Abu Dhabi Reports 48% Rise In Cruise Tourists

The emirate’s 2014/2015 cruise season has 94 confirmed vessel calls, up from 75 in the previous season.

Kerry Visits Riyadh To Soothe Fears Of Stronger Iran Under Nuclear Deal

Convincing Saudi Arabia to accept any agreed nuclear deal is important to the US due to the kingdom’s strategic position in the region.

Sharjah Islamic Bank To Meet Investors For Potential Sukuk

The bank has picked Abu Dhabi Islamic Bank, Al Hilal Bank, Dubai Islamic Bank, Emirates NBD, HSBC, KFH Investment and Standard Chartered to arrange the sukuk sale.

Dubai Hotel Guests Cross 11.6m, Up 5.6% In 2014

Revenues of hotels and hotel establishments rose 9.8 per cent last year to reach Dhs23.9 billion, officials said.

UAE Non-Oil Business Growth Slows In February

The seasonally adjusted HSBC UAE Purchasing Managers’ Index fell to 58.1 points last month from 59.3 in January.

Vatican On Alert For Islamist Attack, But No Plot-Security Chief

ISIL militants have made threats against Catholic targets in Rome that have been given much space in Italian media.

Abraaj Sets Up $200m North Africa Healthcare Group

Abraaj will be the main investor in the healthcare group with $145 million, while three other investors will pitch in about $55 million.

Kuwait’s Americana Q4 Net Profit Falls 28%

The company made a net profit of KD10.19 million ($34.38 million) in the last quarter of 2014.

EU Seeks To Bolster Middle East Quartet Via Arab Involvement

The idea is to have more frequent top-level meetings with Saudi Arabia, Jordan and Egypt to ensure the region is more closely engaged at a time of change.

Iran Says Nuclear Deal Hinges On U.S. Will To Lift Sanctions

Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif insisted that an agreement couldn’t be reached as long as sanctions existed.

Saudi Market Regulator Says Suspects Insider Trading In Mobily Shares

The firm slashed its profits for 2013 and the first half of 2014 by a combined $381 million, citing accounting errors.

UAE Firms See Global Fiscal Crises As Biggest Risk To Business- Survey

Falling oil prices and an imminent liquidity crisis are the other top risks that UAE executives fear might impact their local operations.

Samsung Galaxy S6, S6 Edge To Launch In UAE In April

The S6 is expected to priced between Dhs2,700 and Dhs2,800 while the S6 Edge will range between Dhs3,000 and Dhs3,200.

Saudi Consul Released After Three Years As Hostage In Yemen

Abdullah al-Khalidi, Saudi Arabia’s consul in Aden, was seized in March 2012.

Egypt Got $23bn In Aid From Saudi, UAE And Kuwait In 18 Months

Investment Minister Ashraf Salman said the aid included oil shipments, cash grants and deposits in Egypt’s central bank.

Dubai Airport Passengers Up 7.7% Year-On-Year To Record In January

Passenger numbers climbed to 6.9 million in January from 6.4 million a year earlier.

Stock News: Egypt Rebounds, Saudi Arabia Flat

Saudi Arabia’s market lacked clear direction and was nearly flat as oil edged down towards $62 per barrel.

New IFRS 15 Rules Demand More Disclosure From UAE Firms

The accounting rules are expected to impact some companies on how and when they recognise revenues, global audit firm KPMG said.

Sony Unveils Z4 Tablet And Mid-Range M4 Aqua Smartphone, But No Flagship

Sony said the M4 Aqua smartphone represented a renewed focus on the mid-range segment.

Emirates To Launch Daily Service To Bali From June

The new non-stop service will begin from June 3, with Bali becoming Emirates’ 148th global destination.

Jumeirah To Open Bodrum Resort In Turkey This May

Jumeirah will soon have a second property in Turkey and second resort in Europe

Dubizzle Confirms 12 Dubai-Based Staff Let Go As Part Of Restructuring

The company cut down the jobs as a result of its transition from a “local to a regional business”, it said.

UAE Lender NBAD Has No Capital-Boosting Bond Plans – CEO

A number of Gulf-based banks have issued, or are planning to issue, Tier 1 bonds or sukuk, including Dubai Islamic Bank and Doha Bank.

Four Seasons Bahrain Officially Opens

Luxury operator’s arrival further stokes competition in the Kingdom’s five-star sphere

Qatar’s Barwa Real Estate Appoints Salman Al-Muhannadi Group CEO

Muhannadi was previously chief executive of QNB Capital, the investment arm of Qatar National Bank, a bourse statement said.

Dubai’s RTA To Issue Tenders For Union Oasis Project In May

The project comprise of two mixed-use towers constructed above the Union metro station on an area spanning 15,000 square metres.

Central Bank Chief Says UAE Benefiting From Strong Dollar

Mubarak al-Mansouri also dispelled claims that the dollar peg might hurt the UAE’s export competitiveness.

Kuwait Sovereign Fund Says Cutting U.S. Investments, Raising Europe

Osama al-Ayoub said the fund was going overweight on Europe because of the European Central Bank’s decision in January to use quantitative easing.