Swiss Airline Darwin Waters Down Etihad Deal To Get Green Light

Etihad has agreed to relinquish a role in the appointment of top executives at Darwin.

Qatar Emir Tells Saudi King He Met Terms To End GCC Rift – Source

Saudi Arabia, Bahrain and the UAE recalled their ambassadors to Qatar in March, accusing Doha of failing to abide by an accord not to interfere in each other’s internal affairs.

Swarovski, Tebyan Officially Launch Crystal-Themed Towers In Dubai

The project is expected to be completed by December 2016, the developer said in a statement.

Etihad Partners Air Berlin, Alitalia Sign Codeshare Deal

The airlines, both battling to return to profitability, said the codeshare deal would cover 412 flights between Italy, Germany, Austria and Switzerland.

Middle East’s Mega Refineries Up Diesel Output Just As Demand Fades

The IEA forecast that the Middle East’s net oil product exports will reach nearly one million barrels per day in 2015.

National Bank Of Oman Q3 Profit Rises, Beats Forecasts

The lender made a net profit of OMR14.1 million in the three months to Sept. 30.

Dubai’s Godolphin Mourns Loss Of 2012 St Leger Winner Encke

The five-year old horse died after sustaining a hind limb injury during a routine exercise.

Saudi Prince Alwaleed Warns Against Oil Prices Slide

Brent crude oil touched just above $88 a barrel on Tuesday – its lowest in almost four years.

Etihad’s Revenues Grow 29% In Q3 2014

The boost in third quarter revenues was mainly due to rising passenger demand and cargo growth during the summer, the airline said in a statement.

Pictures: Dubai’s Burj Khalifa Opens World’s Highest Observation Deck

Called At the Top, Burj Khalifa SKY, the deck will be located at Level 148 and will include an outdoor terrace and a premium lounge.

Saudi Arabia and Iran Swap Accusations As Tensions Persist

Shi’ite Muslim Iran and Sunni Saudi Arabia are enmeshed in a struggle for influence across the Middle East and they support opposing sides in political disputes across the region.

Middle East Lacks Adequate Theme Park Hotels – Report

With new leisure attractions coming up in the region, hoteliers must target the theme park hotels sector, says Colliers.

Stock News: Gulf Markets Pull Back Again On Weak Global Lead

Dubai’s bourse dropped 1.2 per cent as most stocks pulled back while heavyweights such as Emaar Properties and Arabtec Holding fell slightly.

Oman’s Bank Sohar Scraps Convertible Bond, Plans OMR40m Rights Issue

The lender said that its board had decided against issuing the convertible “due to uncertainty regarding its eligibility as an additional Tier 1 instrument”.

UAE Economy Ministry Says Falling Oil Prices Won’t Hurt 2014 GDP

The official said that the fall in oil prices will not deeply impact UAE’s GDP growth since the country is economically diversified with oil accounting for less than 30 per cent of the GDP.

Majority Of UAE Workers Say IT Security Policies Hinder Productivity

Around 20 per cent of the employees polled in the UAE said that IT security policies made it harder for them to do their job, a new survey shows.

Saudi Hollandi Bank Meets Expectations With 6.6% Q3 Profit Gain

The lender said it made SAR461.8 million ($123.1 million) in the three months to September 30 compared with SAR433.3 million in the corresponding quarter of 2013.

Oman’s Raysut Cement Posts 17.8% Q3 Net Profit Increase

The company made OMR5.3 million ($13.8 million) in the three months to Sept. 30, compared with OMR4.5 million in the corresponding period of last year.

Oman Cement Q3 Net Profit Drops 39.5%

The cement producer made a net profit after tax of OMR2.3 million ($6.0 million) in the three months to Sept. 30, compared with OMR3.8 million in the corresponding period of 2013.

Dubai’s Emaar Says Looks To Sell Land Plot, No Deal Yet

Emaar said the sale of the land, which is yet to be concluded, was in the “normal course of business”.

CDC Sees Low Ebola Risk In Passengers Pulled From Dubai Flight

Five passengers with flu-like symptoms were removed from the Emirates flight that arrived at Boston Airport on Monday.

U.S., Saudi Arabia Hit Militant Targets In Syria -U.S. Military

Strikes destroyed a machine gun firing position, a militant unit, damaged a staging location and several buildings.

Banque Saudi Fransi Q3 Net Profit Jumps 35%

The bank said it made SAR926 million ($246.9 million) in the three months ending September 30, compared with SAR685 million in the same period a year earlier.

Abu Dhabi Plans Single Mobile Platform For E-Govt Services By 2015

Currently around 30 public entities are offering their services on mobiles, a senior official confirmed.

Dubai To Offer Free WiFi At Its Public Parks And Beaches

The move is expected improve the ratings on the happiness index that was launched by Sheikh Mohammed earlier this week.

Commercial Bank Of Kuwait To Sell KD120m Bond

The bond will have a ten-year lifespan, with an option for the issuer to redeem it after the fifth year, and will be priced at 2.25 per cent over the central bank of Kuwait’s discount rate.

Saudi Telco Mobily Names Etisalat’s Okandan As Deputy CEO

UAE-based Etisalat owns 28 percent of Mobily.

Oil Heads For 4-year Low On Saudi Output Signal

Kuwait’s oil minister said on Sunday OPEC was unlikely to cut production to support prices.

IMF Launches Consultations On Islamic Finance

The nine-member external advisory group includes industry bodies such as the Bahrain-based Accounting and Auditing Organisation for Islamic Financial Institutions.

UAE Govt Approves Higher Federal Spending For 2015

The projected federal spending of Dhs49.1 billion is up from Dhs46 billion in the original budget for 2014.