NCMS warns of dust and poor visibility in the UAE

Relative humidity is also expected to increase over certain areas

Investigators start analysis of damaged EgyptAir black boxes

Sources said it would require “lots of time and effort” to fix the black box recorders

Abu Dhabi banks NBAD and FGB confirm merger talks, shares soar

Each lender has formed a working group to “review the commercial potential” of a merger

Saudi regulator bans Deloitte from audit work for two years

Deloitte has been barred because of its involvement with troubled Saudi contractor MMG

Handover begins of delayed Dhs 7bn Living Legends project in Dubai

The Saudi-based developer has started handing over the first phase to investors

Qatar Navigation to buy Qatar Petroleum stake in Al Shaheen

Al Shaheen has three joint ventures in oilfield services

In pictures: Two new Apple stores open in Dubai airport

Located in Terminal 3, the stores are Apple’s largest in travel retail

UAE’s ENEC awards $3bn nuclear deals to local firms

Construction of the country’s first nuclear energy plant is now more then 65 per cent complete

Saudi, US ties strong ‘irrespective of who is in the White House’ – minister

Saudi’s Deputy Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman met with US president Obama last week

Dubai wins bid to host World Real Estate Congress in 2018

The event is expected to attract over 1000 industry professionals

Alabbar-led group buys major stake in Kuwait’s Americana for $2.4bn

The Dubai-based investment group named Adeptio has bought the stake from the Kharafis

Qatar predicts three years of budget deficits as low oil prices bite

Qatar forecast a fiscal deficit of 7.8 per cent of GDP this year, the first deficit in 15 years

Saudi market regulator jails two executives of contractor MMG

The company’s founder Mohammad Al-Mojil and his son Adel Al-Mojil were sentenced to five years in prison.

Oman finance ministry to issue $2.5bn sukuk to plug budget gap

The bonds will consist of a $1bn five-year issue and a $1.5bn 10-year issue

Small international banks begin entering Iran

The world’s big banks have continued to stay away because they fear being penalised by remaining US sanctions

Human

Cyber attacks from terrorists ‘just a matter of time’

In the first quarter of 2016 alone, there were 2.2 billion cyber attacks globally

Qatar plans zones with tax incentives to lure overseas investors

Under a draft law, Qatar plans three economic zones

Abu Dhabi banks NBAD, FGB in early merger talks

The possible merger could be made as soon as this month

New UAE draft law calls for ban on exotic animal ownership

Failure to keep pets under control can also result in fines up to Dhs 500,000 for owners

UAE introduces VAT threshold for firms in phase 1

The first phase covers companies with annual revenues exceeding Dhs 3.75m

Iran files complaint with ICJ to recover $2bn frozen in US

The assets held in New York are part of the Iranian bank’s foreign currency reserves

Saudi cabinet approves regulations for ‘white land’ tax

Proposals aimed at reducing housing shortage in urban areas

Dubai Parks and Resorts mulls company name change

The theme operator said it is awaiting shareholder approval to change its name to dXb Entertainments

Qatar National Bank acquires Turkey’s Finansbank

The Qatari lender is now the largest bank in the Middle East and Africa by assets

UAE says war has ended for Emirati troops in Yemen

The country said it will continue to help ‘rebuild Yemen’

Saudi prince to meet Obama as he promotes his reform plan in the US

Mohammed bin Salman’s visit is also aimed at restoring frayed ties with Washington

Egypt, Lebanon

EgyptAir crash: Wreckage found at sea

Flight MS804 crashed on May 19 killing all the 66 people on board

Bahrain’s Bapco seeks bids for oil refinery expansion

The expansion is expected to cost about $5bn

What the Microsoft-LinkedIn deal means for the Middle East

Microsoft announced a $26.2bn acquisition of LinkedIn earlier this week

Profit at Abu Dhabi's Mubadala climbs 12.4%

Abu Dhabi’s Mubadala appoints new CEO for energy portfolio

Ahmed Saeed al-Calily will oversee Mubadala’s energy portfolio, which includes Mubadala Petroleum and Masdar