Kerry Pushes For Pause In Yemen Fighting In Saudi Meetings

U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry said the United States was deeply concerned with the worsening humanitarian conditions in Yemen.

UAE Reveals Details About Its Mars Mission

The unmanned probe, named Hope, will collect data that will help scientists learn about the atmosphere in Mars.

Starwood To Double Its Middle East Portfolio In 5 Years

The group’s mid-market brands represent nearly 50 per cent of the company’s pipeline in the region.

Qatar Airways Eyes Stake In India’s IndiGo, Warns Airbus On A380neo

The airline chief said that Indigo would be Qatar Airways’ preferred choice if it wanted to invest in India.

Qatar Invites Oil Firms To Bid For Al-Shaheen Oilfield From Mid-2017

Qatar’s existing 25-year exploration and production-sharing agreement with Maersk Oil of Denmark expires in 2017.

MasterCard Doubles Card Numbers In Middle East, Africa

Partnerships with governments have helped the company boost card numbers in the region, a senior official said.

Saudi Electricity Says Looking For Investments To Diversify

Last month, the state-owned firm said that its net loss for the first quarter of the year more than doubled, to 1.94 billion riyals ($517 million).

Iran May Join TANAP Gas Pipeline Project

The Trans Anatolian Pipeline (TANAP) will carry carrying 16 billion cubic metres (bcm) of gas a year from Azerbaijan’s Shah Deniz II field in the Caspian Sea to European markets.

Marriott Boss Plays Down Mega Deal With Starwood

The senior official did not completely rule out the idea of a takeover saying there are “constantly deals in our industry”.

US Regulator Sues Two UAE Traders For Allegedly Spoofing Gold Futures

Both individuals are traders of CME Group Inc’s gold and silver futures contracts on its Comex exchange in New York.

UAE’s ADNOC Adds Upper Zakum Crude Delivery Point As Output Grows

The OPEC producer began storing the medium-sour crude onboard Aframax tanker Abu Dhabi III in mid-April, the sources said.

Qatar Airways’ Al Baker Says Will Need Two Years To Rebutt “Fictitious” Subsidy Claims

The airline chief also denied that its recent US route expansion was part of a reprisal to American carriers calling for a freeze to flights by Gulf airlines to the US.

Saudi Shipper Bahri Hopes To Issue Sukuk This Quarter

Bahri had previously said it planned to make the issue by the end of March this year and that the tenor would be 10 years.

Saudi’s Khodari Expects Government Compensation For Labour Fees

In 2012, the Saudi goverment introduced a levy of 2,400 riyals ($640) a year for every foreigner whom a company employs above the number of its Saudi workers.

Saudi’s Khodari Expects Government Compensation For Labour Fees

Partly because of higher labour costs, Khodari’s net profit tumbled 57 per cent from a year earlier to $3.7 million in the first quarter of this year.

Oil Hits Fresh 2015 High On Weaker Dollar, Libya Supply Woes

Brent crude jumped 76 cents to $68.28 a barrel by 0603 GMT, after earlier hitting a 2015 peak of $68.53.

Warplanes Strike Yemen’s Saada And Hajja Provinces-Residents

The strikes occurred after Yemen’s Houthi fighters fired mortar bombs and rockets at a Saudi Arabian border town on Tuesday.

Dubai’s Arabtec Names New Chairman

Abu Dhabi businessman Mohamed Thani Murshed Ghannam al-Rumaithi was elected as the new chairman.

Saudi Oil Minister Naimi Optimistic About Kingdom’s Oil Future

The minister said that he saw a bright future for education, training, development and manufacturing in the Kingdom.

OPEC+meeting

OPEC Policy Rollover Likely In June As Oil Rebounds -Delegates

While the June meeting in Vienna is likely to hear demands from some members for a reduction in the amount of oil pumped, a curb is largely unlikely.

Houthi Missiles Hit Saudi Border Town; Airforce To Retaliate

The projectiles struck a girls’ school and a hospital in Najran, which is only two miles from Yemen’s border, officials said.

SAP CEO Dismisses Acquisition Of “Commoditised” SalesForce.com

Bill McDermott said the company had “zero interest” in Salesforce.com.

Saudi’s Riyad Bank Plans Capital-boosting Bond Issue

Saudi Arabia’s fourth-largest lender by assets, plans to issue 4 billion riyals ($1.07 billion) of bonds.

SALIC-Bunge JV To Compete In Saudi Wheat Tenders

The tenders attract major traders including Louis Dreyfus, Noble, Glencore and ADM.

Sharjah Launches Dhs80m Leisure Island Project To Attract Tourists

The island will consist of a Butterfly House, a literature pavilion and art sculptures, the emirate’s agency said in a statement.

Jordan Q1 Tourism Income Falls 11.9% As Westerners Stay Away

Jordan shares frontiers with Iraq and Syria, where ISIL has seized swathes of territory.

Emirates Vows “Sledgehammer” Reply To Subsidy Allegations

Three American airlines alleged in January that Emirates, Etihad Airways and Qatar Airways received more $40 billion in state subsidies in the last decade.

Saudi Privatisation May Accelerate, Says Tadawul CEO

Adel al-Ghamdi said he believed 10 companies might be possible candidates for privatisation

Abu Dhabi Fluorides Plant Eyes Demand From Gulf Aluminium Smelters

Commercial production has begun at the 1.5 billion dirham ($410 million) newly-built facility.

Officials Call For Open Skies Policy, Single GCC Visa To Improve Regional Tourism

With parts of Middle East in turmoil, industry officials look optimistically at intra-regional tourism.