Kuwait shuts down Shuaiba refinery after fire

No casualties were reported due to the fire at the refinery

Dnata JV invests $4m in Pakistan expansion, begins services in three airports

The unit, a joint venture between dnata and Gerry’s group in Pakistan, is planning to create 140 new jobs

Saudi Arabia finds 1,225 firms violating midday work ban

Firms violating the midday work ban will be fined SAR 10,000 ($2,665) while some could be forced to shut down, the ministry said

UAE open to meeting Indian oil demand – economy minister

Abu Dhabi currently provides 9 per cent of India’s energy needs

Saudi money market turmoil shows bank jitters over bond issues

The government sold $5.3bn of riyal bonds to banks last week to help to cover a huge deficit caused by low oil prices

Emirates adds more flights to Phuket

The new flights will increase capacity by 57 per cent on the route, the airline said

India’s Modi visits UAE labour camp, Grand Mosque

Modi’s two-day visit to the UAE is the first by an Indian prime minister since Indira Gandhi’s trip in 1981

Abu Dhabi Urban Planning Council approves 26 projects in Q2

The total floor area of the developments approved more than tripled from the first quarter

Saudi’s ACWA Power says raises extra $295.7m of bank finance

It increased its 2013 revolving credit facility by SAR400m, with National Commercial Bank and Samba Financial Group contributing equally to the extra amount

Oman oil production climbs above 1m bpd in July -ministry

The sultanate has been ramping up oil production despite a global supply glut that has hit oil prices as it hopes to compensate for the drop in oil revenues

Bahrain to remove meat subsidies as cheap oil hits budget

Bahraini citizens will be compensated for the higher meat prices

Overall card spending in the UAE up 14% during Ramadan- study

Spending from UAE-issued cards rose 17 per cent during Ramadan while cards spending by international visitors rose seven per cent

Indian PM Modi begins two-day UAE visit

Narendra Modi is the first Indian Prime Minister to visit the UAE in 34 years

UAE launches online visa service for GCC residents

The service is available on the Fawri portal on the interior ministry’s website

Dubai’s Arabtec swings to Q2 loss as costs rise

Arabtec made a net loss attributable of Dhs 718.3m in the three months to June 30

Kuwait seizes arms, holds suspects in militant plot

A total of 19,000 kg of ammunition, 144 kg of explosives, 68 weapons and 204 grenades were seized

Kuwait approves $10bn infrastructure projects

Among the projects are a series of power plants and desalination facilities

To tax or not : How VAT will impact the UAE

The UAE is moving closer to implementing value-added tax. But will it impact the country’s competitiveness?

Former Saudi official presses for change in managing oil wealth

Khalid Alsweilem argues that the current arrangement is dangerous because the finance ministry can draw freely on the reserves when it wants to cover budget deficits

Emirates plans world’s longest non-stop flight with Panama service

The flight to Panama on a Boeing 777-200 LR jet will have a flight time of 17 hours and 35 minutes

Kuwait’s Agility Q2 net profit rises 5.5%

The firm said net profit in the three months to June 30 was KD 13.5m

US fashion brand Bebe plots Gulf expansion with new stores

The fashion brand is planning to open more stores in the UAE, Saudi Arabia and Qatar over the next few years

Five held in connection with deadly Bahrain blast- interior ministry

The bombing outside a girls’ school in the Shi’ite village of Sitra in July also wounded six other policemen and was the deadliest attack in Bahrain since March 2014

UAE’s Dana Gas extends earnings slump; Q2 profit plunges 85%

The company made a net profit of Dhs 25m ($6.8m) for the three months to June 30

Nearly half of Saudis are ‘uncomfortable’ with their debt – study

Many Saudis take bank loans to consolidate existing debts, according to a new report

Nakheel awards Dhs38m contract for retail centre, mosque in Al Furjan

The company said that it is developing a second retail centre within its Al Furjan community

Aster DM Healthcare expands to Bahrain, invests $2m

Aster will open four more outlets in the country over the next two years – including both medical centres and pharmacies

Saudi Arabia arrests 34 suspects in Abha mosque bombing case

About 30 of those detained are Saudi nationals while the other suspects hailed from Syria, Bahrain, Yemen and Pakistan

Dubai Aquarium introduces shark breeding programme, new visitor experiences

Two new educational experiences have been introduced to provide visitors with insights into the project.

Property prices in Dubai Marina drop 18%, Abu Dhabi rents increase

The dip came despite the community being the most commonly searched on Dubizzle