Dutch Companies Hit By Saudi Retaliation For Politician’s Anti-Islam Campaign

Populist politician Geert Wilders published stickers critical of Islam in the green and white colours of the Saudi flag last December.

Saudi King To Visit Egypt’s New President Sisi On Friday

King Abdullah will stop off in Cairo for just a few hours on his way home from a visit to Morocco, Saudi sources said.

Saudi Firms Dominate Forbes Top 500 Arab Companies List

State-owned firm SABIC topped the list consecutively with $50 billion in revenues and an asset base of $90.4 billion.

Saudi Says Iraq’s Accusation That It Backs Terrorism Is “Ludicrous”

Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki has said that the Kingdom backs Sunni militants ISIL.

Amazon Launches 3D “Fire” Phone

The 4.7-inch phone comes with four front-facing cameras and is priced at $649 contract-free.

Qatar Airways Starts Tokyo Haneda Flights

Doha carrier now serves both city hubs and is the latest carrier to fly to the more conveniently located airport

Middle East Luxury Good Market Steady Despite Regional Worries

The GCC luxury goods market has continued to grow fast, at a rate of five to eight per cent.

Almost 50% Of Middle East’s Finance Professionals Want To Change Jobs

A new survey finds that a quarter of finance professionals said that lack of career progression was one of the main reasons for changing jobs.

Revealed: Top 10 Shopping Malls Under Construction In The MENA

Gulf Business checks out 10 of the biggest malls that are coming up across the Middle East and North Africa region over the next few years.

Iraq’s Biggest Oil Refinery Shut Down, Foreign Staff Evacuated

Baiji, one of three oil refineries in Iraq, was shut down amidst rising sectarian violence in the country.

U.S. Considers Airstrikes On Iraq, Holds Talks With Iran

A senior U.S. official said Obama had not yet decided on a course of action.

Egyptian PM Mehleb’s New Government Sworn In

Mehleb, followed by his ministers, took the oath of office in front of President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi, the former army chief who re-appointed the premier in May.

Egypt Frees Al Jazeera Journalist On Hunger Strike

Al Jazeera journalist Abdullah Al-Shamy was one of 13 people freed on health grounds on Monday.

US Navy Ship With 550 Marines On Board Moves Into Gulf

The ship will support possible US action to help Iraq’s government combat a insurgency in the country.

Egyptian PM To Launch New Government After Sisi’s Election

The new government includes 10 new ministers and a new investment ministry separate from that of industry and trade.

Saudi Arabia Says Rejects Foreign Intervention in Iraq

In a statement, the Kingdom blamed the crisis on years of “sectarian and exclusionary” policies.

Qatar Airways A380 Deliveries Delayed Again – CEO

The delivery had been expected around the end of May, but was pushed back after the airline rejected the aircraft during a pre-delivery inspection.

Middle East Investors To Spend $180bn On Global Real Estate Over Next 10 Years – Report

Sovereign wealth funds in the region are expected to make the biggest investments, with Europe slated to receive the bulk of the amount.

Bahrain’s Batelco Wins $211.1m From Indian Partner

Batelco, via wholly-owned subsidiary BMIC, had sued Chennai-based Siva and its chairman Chinnakannan Sivasankaran.

Iraq Ends Recovery In Dubai, Arabtec Shares

Dubai’s index drops 2.3 per cent while Abu Dhabi’s benchmark slides 1.4 per cent.

UAE’s Dana Gas Says No Impact On Iraqi Kurdistan Ops From Fighting

Shares in Dana Gas dropped 4.8 per cent on Sunday as part of a wider rout in Gulf stock exchanges that was partly due to the news from Iraq.

Barclays Names Azar As Middle East Chairman

Azar has been with Barclays since September 2010, when he joined from private equity firm Kohlberg Kravis Roberts & Co.

Aramex Acquires Australia’s Mail Call Couriers

Aramex CEO Hussein Hachem says he will be looking to bring Mail Call’s ‘WantItNow’ e-commerce delivery service to other markets.

Different Arab money

MENA SMEs Turn To Islamic Financing For Funding

A study by the International Finance Corporation (IFC) found a potential market gap of up to $13.2 billion for Islamic financing in the region.

Airbus To Increase Seat Capacity On Popular A320 Models

The more densely arranged cabins will be available early next year.

LinkedIn Could Face Customer Lawsuit Over Email Addresses

A US district judge said that customers may pursue claims that the networking site violated their right of publicity.

Qatar Says Diplomat’s Comments Criticizing Tripoli Fake

The Qatari ambassador allegedly denounced a Libyan Supreme Court ruling on his twitter account.

Alitalia Board Votes To Accept Etihad Offer, Rapidly Do Deal – CEO

Abu Dhabi-based Etihad is prepared to invest up to $1.70 billion over the next four years.

Why The Middle East’s Ultra Wealthy Are Seeking Second Citizenship

Second citizenship offers greater stability and security, tax efficiency and ease of travel, among other benefits, say experts.

Tourism In The Middle East Fights Back Despite Turmoil

After being hit hard by the Arab Spring and the Syrian civil war, the Middle East’s troubled tourism markets are fighting back even as political hurdles remain.