Saudi princess to lead new women’s sports initiative

Appointment of Princess Reema bint Bandar bin Sultan comes days ahead of the Rio Olympic Games, where four Saudi women will compete

UAE non-oil private sector sees strongest hiring since May 2015

Monthly Emirates NBD index says growth in the sector hit a 10-month high in July

Legal view: What you should know about the UAE’s VPN law

No clarity yet about what exactly constitutes a “crime” when using VPNs

Saudi prepares rules for real estate funds amid housing push

Saudi Arabia aims to build 1.5 million homes over the next seven or eight years

Heritage hotel planned for Saudi UNESCO site Ad’Diriyah

The property will aim to imitate the design of the site’s mud buildings

Dubai to invest $270m in future accelerators programme

The programme, launched last month, includes seven future challenges to be addressed by companies and entrepreneurs

Etihad launches 787 Dreamliner to Shanghai

The aircraft increases capacity on the route by 14 per cent

Gulf IPO activity drops by half in Q2

Economic volatility and lower oil prices led to a significant slowdown in listing activity

Kuwaiti conglomerate doubles maternity leave for UAE staff

Alghanim also offers women an option to extend leave by four months without pay

Kuwait reveals plans for smart, environmentally friendly city

South Saad Al-Abdullah city has been designed to accommodate 400,000 people

Oman Air pens codeshare deal with Saudia

Customers can book flights through either airline between Muscat and Riyadh, Dammam, Jeddah, or Medina

Passenger traffic at Abu Dhabi airport up 6.6% in first half of 2016

The UAE capital welcomed over 11.84 million passengers at its international airport in H1

UAE’s TRA clarifies that VPN law will not affect ‘legitimate’ users

The telecoms regulatory authority said that it is streamlining the use of VPNs in the country

Abu Dhabi’s Aldar Properties Q2 net profit up 9.7%

Aldar made a profit of Dhs 657.4m in the three months to June 30

Saudi plans $1.1bn fund for smaller companies

The fund will invest in venture capital operations

Qatar’s Barwa Real Estate buys land for $175.8m in Saudi

The deal is part of Barwa’s plan to explore potential real estate investment opportunities in the kingdom

Grayling moves into Iran with PGt partnership

As Iran ‘opens its arms to the world’ another global network jumps in

Road closure to hit motorists in Old Dubai, Karama

Rush hour traffic for those travelling between Karama and Old Dubai is expected to be impacted by improvement works

Iranian oil minister: Crude market ‘oversupplied’

Supply from OPEC rose to 33.41 million barrels per day in July

Bahrain’s Ahli United Bank raises stake in Commercial Bank of Iraq

AUB acquired a 49 per cent stake in the bank in December 2005

Dubai-based camel milk producer receives VAT exemption

Value added tax is expected to be introduced in the UAE in 2018

Dubai Investments profit up 2% in H1

The firm’s CEO said it will continue to broaden its footprint and asset base

Over 50,000 schools to be set up in the GCC by 2020 – report

The population of school going children is estimated to reach 15 million in the region by 2020

Kuwait to invest $15.75bn in 2017-18 development plan

Financing of the current five-year development plan is being shared by the public and private sectors

Iraqi Airways plane makes emergency landing in Kuwait

The incident happened on a Boeing 767 that was heading to New Delhi

Mohamed Alabbar to acquire stake in YNAP from Richemont

Dubai’s Alabbar leads investors behind 16.45% Aramex stake buy

The Emirati businessman is said to have led two stake acquisitions in the logistics firm

Work to begin on Dhs 151m main building at Dubai Safari

The building will include smart features and free wi-fi

Claim values at Dubai’s DIFC Courts up 48% in first half of 2016

The total value of cases handled by the English-language commercial court was around Dhs 3.44bn

Dubai’s Emaar Properties Q2 net profit up 8%

The developer made a net profit of Dhs 1.27bn in the three months to June 30

Seven Saudi troops, many Houthis killed near Yemen border

The UN-sponsored negotiations had been on the verge of collapse after a new row erupted last week