Swatch Group Reports Sales Rise Of 8.3%

The Swiss group, which owns 20 brands, saw its watches and jewellery segment grow by more than 10 per cent.

Volkswagen ME Reports 30% Rise In 2013

The German manufacturer sold almost 14,000 vehicles across the region last year.

Gulf Markets Seen Steady Following Early-Year Surge

Markets in the United Arab Emirates are closed on Sunday for a religious holiday.

Alcoa Pays $384m To Settle Alba Bribery Charges

Criminal and civil allegations claimed officials were bribed for years to accept the supply of raw materials from Alcoa.

UAE Arrests Iranians Suspected Of Kidnapping Briton In Dubai

Abbas Yazdi, a 44-year old businessman, went missing in Dubai in June.

25m Euro Gulf Investment In Irish Companies Announced

The Gulf Trade Mission was led by the Irish prime minister Enda Kenny.

Rolls-Royce Middle East Up 17% – Another Record Year

Torsten Müller-Ötvös, CEO, praises Middle East dealers and the region’s discerning customers.

EFG Hermes Approves $144m Share Buyback Plan

The Egyptian bank’s shares rose almost 10 per cent after the announcement of the plan.

Just Falafel Plans 160 New Restaurants In US, Canada

The UAE restaurant chain has signed five area franchise agreements with different partners across North America.

Alitalia’s Chairman Likely To Stay On For Talks With Etihad

Roberto Colaninno said in October he would step down after a 300-million-euro capital increase, completed at the end of December.

Emirates Launches Daily A380 Service To Switzerland

Zurich is the Dubai carrier’s 25th A380 destination.

ME-Africa Trade Corridors To Grow In 2014 – Aramex CEO

Hussein Hachem, CEO of Aramex, says Africa-Middle East trade corridors have expanded alongside the growth of Africa’s economy.

Ed’s Letter: Looking To The Year Ahead

The year ahead looks to be a good one, writes Alicia Buller, editor of Gulf Business.

Middle East Salaries To Rise 3.8% In 2014

Newly hired finance professionals are expected to see the largest salary hike at five per cent.

Job Creation Big Issue For Middle East In 2014 – V.Shankar

V.Shankar also questioned the changes resulting from the U.S.’s emergence as a shale gas producer.

Landmark Signs ME Franchise Rights For Jamba Juice

The company’s Foodmark branch plans to open 80 stores across the region over the next 10 years.

Kerry Says Saudi King Backs Israeli-Palestinian Push

The U.S. Secretary of State spent two hours and 40 minutes with King Abdullah. Earlier in the day he met with the King of Jordan.

Samsung Galaxy S5 Rumours Begin

The phone will reportedly debut at the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona this February.

Emirates President Tim Clark Knighted In UK Honours List

Clark was recognised for his “services to British prosperity and to the aviation industry”.

MEA M&A Deal Values Up 26.9% In 2013

The 2013 deal value saw the highest rise in the last six years with all the quarters posting values above $12 billion, the report found.

UAE Declares Holiday For Prophet’s Birthday On Jan 12

Ministries and federal departments will remain closed on Sunday. Private sector employees will have either Saturday or Sunday off.

UAE Urges Emiratis In Lebanon To Leave The Country

The country’s foreign affairs ministry also urged UAE citizens against all travel to Lebanon because of security concerns.

Pentagon Cuts Gulf From U.S. Troops’ Danger Pay

Still on the list are countries including Afghanistan, Iraq, Jordan and Turkey.

Egypt Summons Qatari Envoy After Criticisms Of Crackdown

Egypt accuses Qatar and its Doha-based Al Jazeera television channel of backing the Muslim Brotherhood.

GCC Citizenship Debate: A Place To Call Home

Is it unthinkable that GCC nations could consider a path to citizenship for foreign nationals?

The Battle For Business Class

In a bid to boost their business passenger base, carriers are investing heavily in luxury amenities, while others have even mulled dropping first class all together.

EFG Hermes Appoints Khalid Ellaicy As CFO

EFG said Ellaicy would assume his duties immediately having served at Orascom Telecom as CFO for two years.

Gulf Stocks To Start 2014 On Strong Note

Regional stock markets are projected to reflect expectations for solid global economic growth this year.

Syrian Electronic Army Says Hacked Into Skype’s Social Media Accounts

The group also posted the contact information of Steve Ballmer, Microsoft Corp’s retiring chief executive, on its Twitter account.

Ex-Head Of Bankrupt US Law Firm Appointed As Top UAE Legal Adviser

Law firm Dewey & LeBoeuf was one of the US’ largest and most profitable law firms.