Home next World next Middle East

Middle East

Egypt No Longer Sees Full Tourism Recovery In 2015

Tourism accounts for 11.3 per cent of Egypt’s economy and 19.3 per cent of its foreign currency revenues.

Syria’s Nusra Front Mulls Split From Al Qaeda On Qatar Backing

Sources in Nusra said that Qatar is encouraging the group to go ahead with the move, which would give it a boost in funding.

Oil Plunge Slows Deposit Growth At GCC Banks, No Liquidity Crunch

Deposits from governments, quasi-government bodies and national oil companies provide around 10 to 35 per cent of GCC banks’ non-equity funding.

Egypt Aims For Final Arabtec Housing Deal By Mid-March

Arabtec said last March that it had reached agreement with Egypt’s army to build a million homes at 13 locations around the country.

Etihad To Launch Daily Flights To Tehran From April

The carrier currently operates three flights a week between Abu Dhabi and the Iranian capital.

Kerry Briefs Iran’s Gulf Rivals On Nuclear Talks

Gulf countries fear that Iran is using its atomic programme to develop nuclear weapons capability, something Tehran denies.

GCC Rail Completion Date Could Be Pushed To 2020 – UAE Minister

The UAE and Saudi Arabia are thinking of beginning their partial operation of the network by 2018, said the country’s minister of public works

Two Malaysians Identified In ISIL Beheading Video From Syria

Mohd Faris Anuar and Muhamad Wanndy Muhammad Jedi, aged 20 and 25 respectively, were identified as the men involved in the beheading of a Syrian man.

Iran Rejects Obama’s Demand For 10-Year Nuclear Halt Work

On Monday, Obama said Iran must halt nuclear work for at least 10 years for a deal to be reached between Tehran and six major powers.

Vatican On Alert For Islamist Attack, But No Plot-Security Chief

ISIL militants have made threats against Catholic targets in Rome that have been given much space in Italian media.

Abraaj Sets Up $200m North Africa Healthcare Group

Abraaj will be the main investor in the healthcare group with $145 million, while three other investors will pitch in about $55 million.

EU Seeks To Bolster Middle East Quartet Via Arab Involvement

The idea is to have more frequent top-level meetings with Saudi Arabia, Jordan and Egypt to ensure the region is more closely engaged at a time of change.

Iran Says Nuclear Deal Hinges On U.S. Will To Lift Sanctions

Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif insisted that an agreement couldn’t be reached as long as sanctions existed.

Saudi Consul Released After Three Years As Hostage In Yemen

Abdullah al-Khalidi, Saudi Arabia’s consul in Aden, was seized in March 2012.

Egypt Got $23bn In Aid From Saudi, UAE And Kuwait In 18 Months

Investment Minister Ashraf Salman said the aid included oil shipments, cash grants and deposits in Egypt’s central bank.

Stock News: Egypt Rebounds, Saudi Arabia Flat

Saudi Arabia’s market lacked clear direction and was nearly flat as oil edged down towards $62 per barrel.

Egypt’s Sisi Meets New Saudi King To Discuss Middle East Crises

King Salman broke official protocol to meet Sisi at the airport.

Egypt Election Committee Working On New Poll Timetable

President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi directed his government to amend the article within one month.

Egypt Court Ruling Opens Way For Possible Election Delay

Egypt has been without a parliament since June 2012.

ISIL In Syria Has Abducted 220 From Christian Villages This Week

The abductions reportedly took place when ISIL took 10 villages inhabited by the ancient Christian minority near Hasaka.

UAE Court Sentences Six Iranians To Life In Jail Over British Businessman’s Kidnap

Abbas Yazdi, a businessman of Iranian descent who owns a general trading company in Dubai, disappeared in June 2013.

ISIL Seize 100 Iraqi Tribesmen Before Battle For Tikrit

Iraqi soldiers and pro-government Shi’ite militias have been massing for days in preparation for an attack on ISIL strongholds along the Tigris River.

Yemen Ex-President Amassed Up To $60bn, Colluded With Rebels – UN Experts

Ali Abdullah Saleh’s rule from 1978 to 2012 was marred by graft, UN appointed investigators have told the Security Council.

Firms See Drone Sales In Gulf Surging After US Eases Export Policy

Teal expects a $4.5 billion UAVs (unmanned aerial vehicles) market in the Middle East over the period from 2014 to 2023.

Gunmen Kidnap French Woman, Yemeni Escort In Sanaa

No further details were immediately available on the identity of the woman or what she was doing in Yemen.

Egypt’s Sisi Issues Decree Widening Scope Of Security Crackdown

The anti-terrorism law gives authorities powers to ban groups on charges ranging from harming national unity to disrupting public order.

Gulf Economies Have Failed To Diversify, Qatar Central Banker Says

GCC economies should rethink their monetary policies and the long-term sustainability of their currency pegs to the U.S. dollar, he said.

Airbus To Deliver 30 Commercial Aircraft To UAE Airlines In 2015

The UAE currently comprises around 20 per cent of Airbus’ Middle East market, an official confirmed.

Stock News: Gulf Markets Stall As Oil Gives Up Gains

Dubai’s stock index fell 0.8 per cent as most stocks declined.

New Defense Secretary Hosts U.S. Gathering On ISIL Strategy

Carter’s meeting at a U.S. Army camp in Kuwait comes against the backdrop of a fierce debate inside the United States about the U.S. strategy.