GCC Rail Projects To See Investments Worth $200bn

Rail projects across the GCC are expected to fuel intra-regional trade while helping reduce fuel consumption.

BMW Middle East Sales Up By 23% In 2014

The UAE accounted for 54 per cent of BMW’s sales in the Middle East, followed by Saudi Arabia and Kuwait.

Stock News: Most Markets Edge Up, But Industries Qatar Drags Down Doha

Industries Qatar fell its daily 10 per cent limit and was the main drag on Qatar’s index, which dropped 2.3 per cent.

Saudi’s ACWA Power Wins 1.7bn Euro Morocco Solar Power Deal

The two plants are the second phase of the 500 MW Ouarzazate project, which is part of a government plan to produce two gigawatts of solar power by 2020.

Emirates Launches Second A380 On Manchester Route

The upgraded service will increase Emirates’ capacity from Manchester by 13 per cent, the airline said.

Bid Deadline For Egypt’s Arab Dairy Extended To January 22

Pioneers, a financial firm that already owns 25 per cent of Arab Dairy, is in a bidding war with Lactalis for Egypt’s Arab Diary.

Middle East Carriers Post 12.9% Cargo Growth In November

Middle Eastern air cargo carriers also saw a 17.1 per cent increase in capacity in November, IATA said.

Blizzards Hit Middle East, Refugees Bear Brunt

The storm is forecast to last several days, threatening further disruption in Lebanon, Syria, Turkey, Jordan, Israel, the West Bank and the Gaza Strip.

Stock News: Gulf Markets Stabilise After Sharp Drops

Dubai’s bourse, which had suffered more than others and fallen 8.6 per cent this week, added 0.8 per cent in a broad recovery.

Egypt’s Bisco Misr Shareholders Agree To Sell Stake To Kellogg

Shareholders controlling 59.91 per cent of the company’s shares had agreed to sell at 89.86 pounds per share, Bisco Misr said in a statement.

Stock News: Gulf Sentiment May Stay Weak After Oil’s Plunge

Brent futures edged up early on Tuesday but traded below $54.

Three Saudi Guards Killed In Attack On Iraq Frontier

The guards were killed in a slight border skirmish when attackers shot at the patrol near Arar.

Blast Targets Houthi Base In Yemen Capital

The explosion left a hole in the wall of the building but no fatalities were reported.

Rouhani Urges End To Iran’s Isolation

Rouhani’s call is in line with his preference for a greater public say on strategic matters, traditionally vested with the Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.

UAE’s Dana Gas Says Receives $60m From Egyptian Government

Egypt has delayed payments to oil and gas firms as its economy has been hammered by almost four years of instability.

Saudi Arabia To Reopen Baghdad Embassy After 25-year Chill

Saudi Arabia closed its Baghdad embassy in 1990 after the late Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein invaded Kuwait.

Jailed Australian Journalist Seeks Presidential Deportation From Egypt

The High Court in Cairo ordered a retrial last week on the grounds of procedural flaws in the trial.

Egyptian Court Orders Retrial Of Al Jazeera Journalists

Three journalists are expected to remain in jail until they appear in a new court for retrial, a defence lawyer was quoted as saying.

Oil Ends On A Low After Halving In 2014 As OPEC Stands Aside

Oil prices have collapsed this year as the OPEC opted to maintain the same level of output despite a supply glut.

At Least 26 Killed In Suicide Bombing In Central Yemen

No one claimed responsibility for the suicide bombing, but it resembles previous attacks carried out by al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP).

Abraaj Pulls Out Of Bidding For Egypt’s Bisco Misr

Abraaj did not give a reason for its withdrawal from the bidding process, but said the orderly and transparent process had underlined growing investor interest in Egypt.

Fire At Libyan Oil Port Destroys Up To 1.8m Barrels Of Crude

The Es Sider terminal and nearby Ras Lanuf stopped working three weeks ago when fighting broke out between rebel groups and government forces.

Stock News: Gulf Markets Drop As Oil Hits Fresh Lows

Dubai’s index tumbled 5.0 per cent as most stocks declined.

Libyan Oil Output Shrinks More As Oil Tanks Blaze

Libya is surviving on a mere 128,000 barrels per day from fields connected to the eastern port of Hariga, an oil official said.

Libya Managing Scant Oil Output As Fighting Shuts Major Ports

Output from Libya remains at a fraction of the 1.6 million barrels a day it produced prior to the 2011 ouster of leader Muammar Gaddafi.

Stock News: Gulf Markets Mixed, Saudi Petchems Rise As Oil Edges Up

Dubai’s index fell 0.7 per cent after jumping 2.6 percent on Sunday.

Bisco Misr Takeover Bid Deadline Extended Until January 11

UAE-based private equity firm Abraaj has been battling Kellogg since last month, when the U.S. group scuppered its deal to snap up Bisco Misr.

Interview: Julius Baer CEO On Bank’s Mid-East Growth Plans

The CEO of one of the world’s largest and oldest private banks gives his insight into the evolving world of wealth management, potential acquisition targets, and his plans for the Middle East.

Syria Ready To Discuss Russia Peace Plan Talks, Opposition Dismissive

Although Russia has invited opposition groups to participate in peace talks it did not specify which groups were invited.

Build Greener To Tackle Climate Change, Arab Cities Urged

The speed of the urbanisation process has put additional stress on social services and infrastructure in a region already deeply vulnerable to climate change.