UAE Annual Housing Allowances Range Between $20,000 And $53,000 – Survey

Housing allowance currently stands at around 25 per cent of basic pay across most GCC countries.

Kuwait’s Americana Q1 Profit Rises 10.4%

The company, a franchise operator of restaurants including KFC and Pizza Hut, made $64.4 million in the first three months of 2014.

UAE’s Julphar Sees 19% Growth In Q1 Sales Revenues

The company’s gross profit rose almost 18 per cent to reach Dhs237.1 million in first quarter of 2014.

Abu Dhabi Targets Chinese Tourists Post Nu Skin Event

The emirate is organising a roadshow across Beijing, Shanghai, Chengdu, Guangzhou and Hong Kong.

Saudi Arabia Warns Of MERS Virus Risk From Camels

More than a quarter of the 480 diagnosed with MERS in Saudi Arabia have died.

Egypt To Get More Than $3bn In Free Fuel From Saudi By August

Egypt’s government said last week that gifted fuel from Gulf nations, including Saudi Arabia, totalled $6 billion.

Qatar Bourse Says To List First Exchange-Traded Funds

The launch of the two funds will follow MSCI’s upgrade of Qatar to emerging market status later this month.

Dubai’s Nakheel Partners With UK’s Premier Inn For Ibn Battuta Hotel

The 372-room hotel at Ibn Battuta Mall is scheduled to open in 2016.

Dubai’s Shuaa Capital Swings To Q1 Profit

Shuaa made a profit of Dhs8.2 million ($2.23 million) in the three months to March 31, according to a bourse statement.

Etihad Rail Signs MoU With Saudi Railways Company

The agreement is expected to allow for greater collaboration ahead of the GCC Rail project.

Dhs500m Sharjah Project Set for 2017 Completion

Located 65km off the UAE coastline the island will be home to hotel apartments, villas, and a luxury five-star hotel

Dubai’s RTA Awards Dhs384m Deal For Phase II Of Water Canal Project

The second phase of the project is scheduled to be completed by 2016, RTA chairman Mattar Al Tayer said.

National Bank Of Oman Appoints New Chief Executive Officer

Ahmed al-Musalmi, who has served as deputy chief executive officer for the bank since 2011, succeeds Salaam al-Shaksy.

Dubai’s Jumeirah Group To Invest $2bn In Hotels Expansion

The expansion will see an addition of 4,300 hotels rooms over the next three years, state news agency WAM reported.

QP To Spend Around $11bn To Redevelop Offshore Oil Field

The project includes the expansion of a QP-owned gas processing plant at Mesaieed to help collect about 900 million cubic feet of sour gas per day.

Saudi Arabia Finds Another 32 MERS Cases As Disease Spreads

The rate of infection in Saudi Arabia has surged in recent weeks after big outbreaks associated with hospitals in Jeddah and Riyadh.

Dubai Fund ICD’s Financial Results Disclosed As It Readies Bond Sale

The fund had revenue of Dhs91.2 billion ($24.8 billion) for the six months ending June 30, 2013, compared with Dhs77.3 billion in the same period in 2012.

Dubai Charges Six Iranians With Businessman’s Kidnap

Abbas Yazdi, a businessman who owns a general trading company in Dubai, disappeared last June.

Serco Enters Middle East Defence Market With Qatar Deal

Serco will provide postgraduate-level military education courses for Qatar’s officers in the navy, army and air force, in partnership with Britain’s Ministry of Defence and King’s College London.

Abu Dhabi Telco Etisalat Seeks Banks To Arrange Debut Bond Deal – IFR

The plan is to use bond market financing to take out a bridge loan signed in connection with the acquisition.

Qatar Sees No Worrying Rise In Concentration Of Bank Lending

Qatar spent roughly 6.5 per cent of GDP on capital injections and other measures to maintain stability in its banking sector following the 2008 global credit crunch.

RAKBANK Ups Foreign Ownership Limit By 20%

The new FOL would be 40 per cent and aims to improve the liquidity available to foreign investors.

Dubai Holding Reveals 40 Plots For Mid-Range Hotels

The company plans to add budget hotels to meet growing demand

Kuwaiti Logistics Group Agility Q1 Net Profit Rises 11%

Agility made a profit of 11.24 million dinars ($40.04 million) in the first three months of 2014.

Etihad Does Not Need To Conduct Tender Offer For India’s Jet-Regulator

SEBI was examining whether the share sale agreement between the two airlines amounted to an acquisition of joint control in the Indian airline.

Saudi Arabia Crude Output Rises To 9.66m Bpd In April-Source

Saudi Arabia supplied 9.650 million bpd in April to the market, up from 9.533 million bpd in March, an industry source said.

UAE Federal Credit Bureau To Start In June – CEO

Al Etihad Credit Bureau has so far collected 22 to 24 months of data from around 70 credit data providers.

Emirates To Recover Dhs1bn Loss From Runway Closure Within The Year – Chairman

Up to 25 per cent of the carrier’s fleet will be grounded during the 80-day runway closure.

UAE To Increase Screening Of GCC Camel Shipments Over MERS Fears

All camel shipments from the GCC will be quarantined for 24 to 28 hours until the laboratory tests are conducted, the ministry said.

Saudi Arabia Plans New Pilgrimage Airport At Taif

Most of the several million haj pilgrims coming from abroad each year now arrive at a special terminal in Jeddah’s international airport.