Lebanon arrests five, seizes 2 tonnes of drugs aboard Saudi-bound jet

The plane, scheduled to fly to Hael in northern Saudi Arabia, was carrying 40 bags of Captagon amphetamine pills

Dell to partner up with Middle East firms to build cloud services

Texan company to expand workforce and investment across MENA region

UAE public sector workers given five-day break for Martyr’s Day, National Day

All government offices will remain closed from Tuesday, December 1 to Saturday, December 5

Abu Dhabi F1 Grand Prix set to sell-out all 60,000 tickets

Yas Marina Circuit says over 90 per cent of the tickets have already been sold for the event, which runs from November 27-29

UAE energy minister expects oil price to rise in 2016

He said the UAE would not try to impose a correction on the market, but that fundamentals were indicating there would be one

Swiss-Belhotel International takes over operations of Sharjah Rotana

Post the deal, Sharjah Rotana will be renamed Swiss-Belhotel International Sharjah

Etihad to launch daily A380 services to Melbourne from 2016

Deploying the A380 will increase the total number of two-way seats on the route by 26 per cent to over 11,500 per week

Oman, Japan to form $400m fund to invest in food sector

The fund will facilitate direct investment in GCC states by Japanese food and agribusiness firms

UAE cabinet approves slightly smaller federal budget for 2016

Next year’s budget has been set at Dhs 48.56bn with a zero deficit

Saudis see some progress toward Syria solution, more talks needed

Adel al-Jubeir reiterated his country’s long-held stance that Bashar al-Assad should play no role in a future Syria

Flydubai begins operations from Dubai World Central

The carrier will offer flights to destinations such as Amman, Beirut, Chittagong, Doha, Kathmandu, Kuwait and Muscat from DWC

Oil at $80 seen as ideal in next phase -UAE economy minister

The minister said the world could not afford to let oil stay at its current level, which is roughly $50 a barrel for Brent crude

UAE SMEs lower growth outlook as economy slows

Small and medium enterprises have reported difficulties in collecting payments and raising finance, both signs of tightening liquidity

Saudi carrier flynas in talks to purchase four new aircraft – CEO

The airline currently has about 26 aircraft in its fleet with the average age of eight and half years

US, Saudi Arabia to bolster support for moderate Syrian opposition

US Secretary of State John Kerry met King Salman and other Saudi officials on Saturday

SABIC affiliate Saudi Kayan starts trial runs at new Butanol plant

The plant is designed to produce 330,000 tonnes per year of normal butanol once operational

Saudi transport projects going ahead as scheduled -minister

Minister of Transport Abdullah al-Muqbil said the government had allocated SAR 200bn to be spent on public transport plans

Up to 78% of Filipinos in the UAE plan Philippines property buy

New survey finds majority of the respondents plan to buy properties within a price ceiling of around Dhs 167,000

Marka signs deal to open fashion brand Carven in the GCC

Following the deal, the Dubai-listed firm plans to open seven new Carven stores in the Gulf Cooperation Council countries by 2018

Egypt’s Sisi to visit UAE, India and Bahrain

The Egyptian President will begin his trip on October 27 with a visit to Abu Dhabi, state news agency WAM said

Timeline: Dubai’s Emirates completes 30 years

The fast growing Dubai airline began with a capital of $10m and two leased aircraft

Lebanon’s Hezbollah takes aim at Saudi Arabia on Ashura

Hezbollah leader Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah condemned what he called the “US-Saudi aggression” against Yemen

Germany defends export of tanks to Qatar, says arms will not be used in Yemen

The shipment is controversial because Berlin is seeking to de-escalate tensions in the Middle East

Germany approves Etihad-Air Berlin code shares until Jan 15

Etihad owns 29.2 per cent of loss-making Air Berlin, which is currently working on a new restructuring plan

Dubai’s retail sector stabilising after high growth – Majid Al Futtaim

Michael Cesarz said that the company will continue to expand in Dubai while pursuing opportunities in Abu Dhabi and Sharjah

OPEC will keep oil output high even if prices stay low, traders say

OPEC ministers meet in Vienna on December 4 to decide production policy

Abu Dhabi’s residential rents up 8% in Q3 2015

Rents for poor quality housing stock in Abu Dhabi have declined but rates for new units remained unchanged, a new report says

Saudi says Russian actions in Syria “very dangerous”

Foreign minister Adel al-Jubeir also said Assad was the “magnet” attracting foreign fighters from all over the world to fight for ISIL

Sharjah launches new 14 million sq ft industrial zone

Al Saja’a Industrial Oasis will comprise of 353 plots, all of which will be offered to investors on either a freehold or a leasehold basis

Ooredoo Kuwait offers free WhatsApp, Skype as it mounts recovery

The telecom operator is hoping to attract more subscribers and ultimately raise average user revenues