BlackBerry Launches BBM For Android, iOS Users

The service will be rolled out in a phased manner to ensure a “smooth” customer experience, said the company.

Airbus Says A350 Tests Going Well, Delivery On Track

The A350 is designed to compete with the Boeing 787 Dreamliner and the larger Boeing 777.

Emirates and Virgin America Enter Frequent Flyer Partnership

Emirates becomes the fifth airline to join Virgin America’s frequent flyer program.

Cloud Computing In Middle East ‘Here To Stay’

Valerio Romano, managing director of Technology Consulting at Accenture, speaks exclusively to Gulf Business.

Kuwait Gives Egypt 5 Years To Repay $2bn Deposit: Egyptian PM

Egypt’s central bank received the $2 billion deposit from Kuwait on Sept. 26.

LIVE: Updates From Gitex 2013

Gulf Business brings you all the news from the region’s biggest ICT event.

Freed Lebanese, Turkish Hostages Fly Home After Deal

The nine Lebanese hostages were seized by Syrian rebels in May 2012

Arab States Urge Saudi To Keep U.N. Security Council Seat

The Kingdom refused its newly won council seat condemning the UN body’s double standards on the Middle East

Tommy Weir: Rise Of The Corporate Generation

Most Middle East workers are among the first members from their family to work in a corporate environment, writes the author of ’10 Tips For Leadership In The Middle East’.

Gulf’s Social Media Usage Transforming Brand Engagement

High levels of internet penetration and social media usage are transforming customer strategies and brand engagement in the Middle East.

Little Comfort For Egypt’s Brotherhood During Sacred Eid

Egyptians connected to the Brotherhood movement were ill inclined to celebrate at a time when leaders are behind bars.

Hope Glimmers For Demoralised Egyptian Tourist Industry

Visitors are gradually returning to Egypt after the worst civil violence in the country’s modern history.

Palestinian President Abbas Invites Pope To Visit Holy Land

Both of Pope Francis’s two immediate predecessors, Benedict and John Paul, visited Holy Land sites in Israel and the Palestinian territories.

dirhams

MENA’s Private Equity To Pick Up In 2014

According to a Deloitte survey, confidence among private equity professionals in exits via IPOs has increased.

Fifa U-17 World Cup Kicks Off In The UAE

The host side takes on Honduras at Abu Dhabi’s Sheikh Zayed Stadium on the first day.

iPad 5 And New iPad Mini Launch Expected Next Week

The new iPad Mini is expected to come with a retina display and possibly in a range of colours.

Sky News Arabia Has Lost Contact With Crew In Syria

At least 39 journalists were killed and 21 kidnapped in Syria last year by both rebels and government forces.

Arab Spring Haj Pilgrims Talk Politics Despite Heavy Security

There was an undercurrent of frustration with the instability brought about by the Arab Spring uprisings.

BMW Middle East Reports Record Q3 Growth

Bahrain and Kuwait have led the region this year in terms of sales while the 5 Series has been the group’s bestselling model.

Coutts Announces Advisory Board For Middle East

The private lender’s growth plans for the Middle East are more aggressive than in other parts of the world.

U.S. Passes Saudi To Become World’s Top Oil Producer

The U.S. has witnessed the fastest expansion in production over a four-year period since a surge in Saudi Arabia’s output from 1970-1974.

Britain Exports 50,000 T Barley To Saudi Arabia

Britain exported 42,000 tonnes of barley to Saudi Arabia during the 2012/13 season according to customs data.

McLaren Readies For Middle East P1 Deliveries

The British car marker will deliver 10 per cent of its 375 hypercars to the region.

18% Of GCC Spending Five Hours A Day On Touch Devices

A study by Acer found that 50 per cent of children in the region own at least one touch enabled device.

S.Korea Signs $5.4bn Currency Swap Deal With UAE

The arrangement lets either country swap 5.8 trillion Korean won for 20 billion dirham, or vice versa.

De-icing And Electrical Issues Cause Fresh Dreamliner Woes

A San Diego-Tokyo flight operated by Japan Airlines returned to the US airport after anti-icing equipment failed.

Different Arab money

Malaysia, UAE Tie Up To Boost Economic Ties, Islamic Finance

The two financial hubs held a combined $181 billion in sharia-compliant banking assets as of 2011

India Sells Wheat To UAE, First Private Deal Since Late August

The UAE has purchased 30,000 tonnes of milling wheat from India.

Airbus CEO Dismisses Boeing’s 747-8 As “Dated”

The two titans of the aviation world are battling for the swiftly shrinking jumbo aircraft space.

Libyan PM Freed After Being Seized Over US Raid – Officials

Ali Zeidan was ‘kidnapped’ and held by militia for several hours on Thursday in Tripoli.