Alitalia, Etihad Deal Likely To Be Cleared By End Of Year

Etihad clinched a deal last month to buy 49 per cent of lossmaking Alitalia for 1.76 billion euros.

Siemens Hands Over Shuweihat S3 Power Plant In Abu Dhabi

The Shuweihat S3 power plant has an installed electrical capacity of 1,600 megawatts, and will be operated by Shuweihat Asia O&M Company (SAOM).

FIFA To Discuss Dates For 2022 Qatar World Cup On Sept 8

Officials from football associations worldwide will debate on whether to shift the tournament from the summer months.

The UAE Should Publish More Data Online – UN Expert

The UAE needs to make more public information available online to improve its ranking on the UN e-government survey, an official said.

Saudi Arabia Detains 88 People For Plotting “Terrorist” Attacks – Al Arabiya

The ministry said the suspects had been monitored for months before their arrest.

Saudi Pipeline Set Alight After Shots Fired At Security Patrol

The fire has been extinguished and there was no impact on oil or gas production, a security source said.

Gold Hits New Low As Equities, Dollar Strengthen

The metal has been underpinned by worries over the stand-off between Russia and the West over Ukraine and persistent unrest in the Middle East.

Attack On Army Convoy Kills 11 In Egypt’s Sinai

Militants in the Sinai have stepped up attacks on policemen and soldiers since ex-army chief Abdel Fattah al-Sisi became president.

Exclusive: Emirates NBD Planning To Expand Saudi Operations – CEO

The bank, which currently has one branch in the Kingdom, is looking to grow operations across the country.

Top 10 Most Influential UAE Brands On LinkedIn

Etihad Airways tops the list of UAE brands found have the most engagement with professionals on LinkedIn.

Dubai Islamic Bank Rules Out Controlling Stake In Indonesian Lender

DIB plans to increase its stake in Bank Panin Syariah to 40 per cent from the current 25 per cent, its CEO said.

ADIB Completes Sale Of Barclays’ UAE Retail Banking Business

Following the transition, ADIB will serve over 700,000 customers across a network of 85 branches, 660 ATMs, internet and mobile platforms.

Saudi Court Jails 17 For Seeking To Fight In Iraq

The official Saudi Press Agency reported that the 17 were sentenced to terms of imprisonment ranging from 2-1/2 years to 26 years.

Iran Agrees On Gas Export Volume With Oman

Oman first agreed to buy gas from Iran in 2005, but price disagreements and Western sanctions that have stunted Iranian energy projects prevented any real progress.

Britain Unveils Powers To Strip Suspected Islamist Fighters Of Passports

British Prime Minister said the government would consult on a discretionary power to prevent Britons from returning home if they have pledged allegiance to extremist causes.

Emirates Executive Says Airline Is Not Interested In Qantas Investment

An investment in Qantas does is not in line with the airline’s strategy, Emirates’ COO Thierry Antinori said.

Viva Kuwait Chairman Says Telco Aims To List By Year-End

The company, which completed an initial public offer of shares in 2008, did not explain the delay in listing.

Saudi Central Bank Says May Cap Consumer Lending, Limits Fees

The change in rules could dent profit growth at banks, especially those that rely heavily on retail activity.

Qatar Telco Ooredoo’s Myanmar Start-Up Focuses On Pay-As-You-Go

Ooredoo and Norway’s Telenor Group last year won telecom licences in the southeast Asian country, whose mobile penetration is about 10 per cent, among the lowest globally.

Nakheel Opens Its First Community Retail Mall

Jumeirah Park Pavilion is a 10,6000 square metre retail facility and will cater to residents of the Jumeirah Park, Jumeirah Islands and Jumeirah Village communities.

Emirates Says Prepared To Order More A380s If Revamped

Emirates is the world’s largest operator of the A380 with 51 currently flying and has a further 89 of the planes on order.

Iraq Violence Killed At Least 1,420 In August – UN

About 1,370 Iraqis were wounded and 600,000 people forced to flee, the United Nations said.

Dubai’s State Property Firm Meraas Seeks Up To $4bn Loan – Sources

A banking source aware of the talks said that Meraas was looking to ‘front-load’ its debt plans so that it raised as much cash before construction began on its projects.

Saudi Arabia Fines $2.6m Over Labour Law Violations

There were 62,762 violations of labour law in the Kingdom, according to the Ministry of Labour.

Dubai Lender ENBD To Announce Plans For Tier 1 Bond Monday -Sources

Following a series of investor meetings, ENBD aims to complete a U.S. dollar-denominated bond offering of benchmark size, one of the sources said.

Saudi Ma’aden, Alcoa Start Commercial Ops At Huge Aluminium Plant

The aluminium plant had experienced issues during the initial start-up phase last year when it had to shut one of its two smelting lines due to problems encountered during ramp-up.

Property Stocks Lift UAE Markets, Emaar Surges Again

Shares in Emaar, the biggest listed developer in Dubai, surged 6.7 per cent on strong volume and dominated trading in the emirate.

Abu Dhabi’s Aldar Sells Residential Tower To MAG F5 Holdings

The tower, located in Marina Square on Reem Island, comprises 202 units that are ready for handover.

Sharjah To Meet Investors Ahead Of Debut Sukuk Issue – Official

Sharjah has appointed HSBC, Kuwait Finance House, National Bank of Abu Dhabi, Sharjah Islamic Bank and Standard Chartered to arrange the roadshows.

Dubai Festival City Begins Phase Two Of Retail Expansion

The move is part of a large-scale redevelopment plan which includes reforming the mall’s exterior and adding more retail brands.