Huge Gap Of Women Leaders In The Middle East – Mercer

A quarter of organisations in the region have no women leaders in their 100 most senior roles, a survey by Mercer found.

Australia’s Currency Drops As Sydney Hostage Drama Continues

At least one gunman has taken several people hostage at a central Sydney cafe.

Stock News: Qatar Enters Bear Market As Dubai Erases 2014 Gains

Dubai’s gauge wiped out this year’s advances as oil prices plummeted to the lowest level since July 2009.

Dubai-Based Retailer Al Ghurair To Launch 30 New Stores In The GCC

The latest addition will see Al Ghurair’s retail presence in the region increase to 90 shops from the 60 it currently operates in the UAE, Kuwait and Qatar.

Syrian Wins Arab Idol Contest, Steers Clear Of Politics

Hazim Sharif steered clear of specific political references in interviews after his victory, which was broadcast to millions of viewers across the Middle East.

UAE Says OPEC Won’t Change Output Even If Price Drops to $40

UAE minister of energy ruled out a cut in OPEC’s production or an emergency meeting soon to stabilise the falling oil prices.

OPEC Chief Defends Policy, Says Group To Try To Ride Out Price Fall

OPEC Secretary-General said that Gulf countries should continue to invest in oil exploration despite the decline in oil prices.

Dubai’s Aramex Buys South Africa’s PostNet Franchise For $16.5m

PostNet provides courier, printing and copying services, plus stationery and mailboxes, and has 287 stores in South Africa.

Airbus A350 Delivery To Qatar Rescheduled For Dec 22

The handover of Airbus’ first mainly carbon-composite jet was originally scheduled for December 13.

Flydubai Targets European Traffic Flows

The low-cost carrier is launching new routes to Zagreb, Sarajevo and Sofia.

Saudi King Gives $35m Grant For Ebola Fight

Under the grant, Jeddah-based IDB will setup treatment centres in Sierra Leone, Guinea and Liberia and Mali.

Songbird Says Too Early To Know Shareholder Intentions On $4bn Qatari Bid

Songbird Estates is the owner of London’s Canary Wharf financial district.

UAE’s First Gulf Bank Looks To Asia For Expansion

It is particularly looking to expand into North Asia and mainland China and also wants to increase its presence in India.

Oil Plunges 3% To New 5-Year Lows After Bearish IEA Outlook

The IEA slashed its outlook for global oil demand growth for 2015 by 230,000 barrels per day to 900,000 bpd.

Lebanon Counts The Cost Of Conflict

The burden of supporting Syria’s displaced citizens has dampened business and investor confidence in Lebanon.

Is E-Commerce The Best Bet For Middle East Start-Ups?

Although opportunities are abound, many entrepreneurs underestimate the challenges of starting up online.

How Yemen’s Houthis Control Sanaa And Alarm The West

Widely seen as a failed state, Yemen remains one of the gravest threats to stability in the Gulf and beyond.

Gulf Bonds Diverge As Oil Plunge Separates Strong From Weak

As oil plunges, the region is dividing into three classe in investors’ eyes with Kuwait and Qatar emerging as the strongest.

Qatari State Fund Katara Buys Lloyds’s 50% Stake In London Savoy Hotel

The five-star hotel is currently owned 50 per cent by Saudi billionaire Prince Alwaleed Bin Talal’s Kingdom Holding.

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OPEC Cuts 2015 Demand Forecast For Its Oil To Lowest In A Decade

OPEC forecast demand for the group’s oil will drop to 28.92 million barrels per day (bpd) in 2015, down 280,000 bpd from its previous expectation.

Airbus Says First Delivery Of A350 To Qatar Postponed

The new Airbus A350 was scheduled for delivery on Saturday, December 13.

Differences Persist Despite Unity Pledges At GCC’s “Happy Summit”

Differences still exist between the six GCC states over issues relating to Egypt, Libya and Iran.

Oil Falls Below $66 As OPEC Trims 2015 Demand Forecast

The price of the North Sea oil benchmark has fallen more than 40 per cent since June.

Cheap Oil, Stronger Economies To Drive Airline Profits In 2015 – IATA

The industry’s net profit is expected to rise to $25 billion in 2015, from an estimated $19.9 billion in 2014.

GCC Creates Joint Police And Naval Forces As Regional Threats Mount

The police force, which will be known as GCC-POL, and the naval force will help the Gulf states to counter risks posed by terrorist militant groups in the region.

Middle Easterners Big Takers For St. Kitts’ Citizenship Program

The program allows investors to purchase government-approved real estate (min $400,000) in return for citizenship.

Flydubai Targets Bratislava Expansion

Initially launching as a twice-weekly service, a third service will be introduced in January.

Algeria Oil Minister Says OPEC May Hold Emergency Meeting Before June

The Algerian minister reiterated that oil prices were down because of low consumption and high supplies especially from non-OPEC petroleum-producing nations.

Kuwaiti Emir Says Oil Price Fall Hitting Gulf Arab Incomes

Sheikh Sabah said that one of the ways to encounter the oil price slide was greater economic integration within the GCC.

Market, Not OPEC, Will Determine Oil Price – UAE Official

Prices have fallen over 40 per cent since June and brent crude hit $65.33 a barrel on Tuesday, its lowest since September 2009.