Lebanon’s Aoun elected president, ending 29-month vacuum

Aoun, who is in his 80s, secured the presidency by winning the support of 83 MPs

Bosnian village reserved for Arab investors attracts local fury

The village is said to be off limits to locals unless they are working as domestic servants

Qatar and UAE close gender gap but rank poorly worldwide

Gulf economies were the worst performing in the high income group in this year’s index

UAE climbs to 26th in World Bank’s Doing Business ranking

The emirates climbed the most places among the Gulf countries

Truce in Yemen between Saudi-backed forces and Houthis expires

Each side accused the other of repeatedly violating the three-day truce

Why GCC businesses are adopting virtual reality solutions

The use of VR has become one of the most talked-about developments for businesses in recent years

Civilians injured in Saudi by missiles fired from Yemen

A UN-brokered 72-hour truce between the Houthis and the Saudi-led coalition began just before midnight on Wednesday

Saudi says prepared for ceasefire in Yemen if Houthis agree

Saudi Foreign Minister Adel al-Jubeir said Houthis would have to agree that Yemen was free

Iran hopes soon to reach Qatar’s gas production levels

Iranian oil minister Bijan Zanganeh said Iran’s priority was developing the giant South Pars gas field

Different Arab money

GCC funding needs could reach $560bn between 2015-2019 – S&P

The region is continuing to feel a strong impact from low oil prices

Saudi coalition says wrong information led to Yemen funeral attack

The air strike on the funeral gathering in Sanaa killed 140 people, according to a UN estimate

Two Americans held in Yemen released and flown to Oman

Oman worked with Yemeni authorities in Sanaa to secure the Americans’ release

Acer ME head on why it exited the regional smartphone market

The influx of cheaper Chinese smartphones has made the market unviable, says Daniel Trachino

US Navy again faces missile attack from Houthi territory in Yemen

This is the second such incident in four days

70% of young Gulf Arabs prefer public sector work

The Arab Youth Survey findings reveal Gulf nationals still strongly prefer government roles despite efforts in the private sector

Saudi forces intercept two missiles from Yemen

The missiles were reportedly directed at the Saudi city of Jazan

Samsung stops sale of Galaxy Note 7, asks users to ‘turn off’ devices

The company is investigating reports of replacement devices catching fire

Saudi coalition promises investigation into Yemen attack

The airstrike, which is believed to have hit a funeral gathering, killed more than 140 people

Saudi-led coalition denies role in Sanaa incident which killed at least 82

The air strike took place on a building where mourners were gathered on Saturday

Egyptian court hears appeal for controversial Saudi island deal

An Egyptian court rescinded the country’s decision to handover disputed Red islands to Saudi Arabia in June

Standard Chartered appoints new CFO for Middle East and Africa

Mohamed Abdel Bary has been appointed regional CFO for Africa and Middle East with immediate effect

GCC firms struggle to get finance as region grapples with low oil prices

Bank lending and overall money supply has gradually slowed

UAE says Houthi attack on civilian ship was an ‘act of terrorism’

The ship was targeted by Houthi militia near the Bab al-Mandab strait off Yemen’s southern coast

Revealed: World’s 10 ‘best’ countries, Saudi in top 30

Saudi lawyer calls on kingdom to enact its own JASTA

The controversial US bill allowing families of 9/11 victims to sue Saudi Arabia was made law last week

GCC countries face further credit rating downgrades

The region’s macro momentum is losing steam, says Fisch report

Suicide bomber kills one person, wounds three in Yemeni port city

Islamic State claimed responsibility for the assassination of two security officers in Aden earlier this week

Saudi-led forces rescue passengers from vessel off Yemen

The coalition rescued civilians from a vessel targeted by Houthi militias, Saudi news agency confirms

Saudi riyal falls, bond may be delayed after US 9/11 vote

Some analysts have speculated that trade and investment ties between Saudi Arabia and the United States could be hurt

US Congress rejects Obama veto, Saudi 9/11 bill becomes law

The vote was a blow to Obama as well as to Saudi Arabia, one of the United States’ longest-standing allies

Qatar Airways and IAG deepen commercial links

The agreement comes as British Airways converts its flights to Doha and Muscat to direct services from October 30