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Australia’s Currency Drops As Sydney Hostage Drama Continues

At least one gunman has taken several people hostage at a central Sydney cafe.

UAE’s First Gulf Bank Looks To Asia For Expansion

It is particularly looking to expand into North Asia and mainland China and also wants to increase its presence in India.

UAE To Activate $5.7bn China Currency Swap Soon

The agreement has been designed to facilitate two-way trade and investment.

Qantas Flight From Dubai To Sydney Diverted To Perth After AC Fault

The aircraft descended from 39,000 to 10,000 feet in five minutes before landing safely in Perth.

Qatar Airways To Launch A380 To Bangkok From December 5

The airline had initially planned to deploy the jumbo jet to the Thai capital from January 2015.

Indonesia To Sign Sales, Refinery Deals With CNOOC, Saudi Aramco

Indonesia’s oil firm Pertamina is in talks with CNOOC, Saudi Aramco, Thailand’s PTT Pcl and a Japanese oil company to form joint ventures.

Doha Bank Shareholders Approve India Assets Buy

HSBC Bank Oman said in April it had agreed to the sale of its Indian business to Doha Bank.

Asia Will Feel Positive Impact Of Qatar 2022 – Official

Hassan Al Thawadi assured Asian Football Confederation members they too would also feel the positive affects of a first World Cup in the Middle East.

Indian Carrier IndiGo Expands Dubai Operations

Indian low-cost airline spots budget travel opportunities to Bengaluru and Kozikhode

HSBC Oman Says In Talks With Meezan Bank To Sell Pakistan Unit

HSBC Oman, 51 per cent owned by London-listed HSBC, said talks were preliminary and may or may not lead to a sale.

Pakistan In Talks With Qatar About LNG Imports In 2015

Nearly half of Pakistan’s electricity is generated by gas.

Top 10 Indian Cities For UAE NRI Property Investors

Mumbai tops the list, followed closely by Bangalore, finds new survey.

India Urges Higher Pay For Millions Of Gulf Workers

The recommended minimum monthly salary has risen to SAR1,200 in Saudi, and to Dhs1,500 in the UAE.

Japan Agrees To Extend UAE Crude Storage Deal

The agreement allows UAE easy access to Asian markets while giving Japan priority access to reserves if Japan is in short supply of crude.

Abraaj Buys Into Southeast Asia’s Wine Scene

The deal is Abraaj’s fourth investment into Southeast Asia’s food and beverage industry.

China Makes ICBC Yuan Clearing Bank For Qatar

China has appointed clearing banks for Taiwan, Singapore, London, Frankfurt, Paris, Luxembourg and Seoul in the past two years.

Qatar Sovereign Fund To Launch $10bn Investment Fund With China’s CITIC

QIA, estimated to have around $170 billion, and state-owned CITIC Group signed an MoU to launch the 50-50 investment fund.

Etihad Boosts India Network With Additional Flights To Mumbai, Delhi

Triple daily services will begin to Mumbai on February 15, and to New Delhi on May 1, 2015.

Flydubai Set For Mumbai Launch

Airline won’t be able to compete with Emirates on scheduling but will on price

Saudi Aramco Gives Pipeline Contract To China’s SEPCO

Under the contract, the first phase of an expansion of the master gas system, SEPCO will install two booster gas compressor stations.

China-Backed Hackers May Have Infiltrated Apple’s iCloud

The hackers potentially gained access to passwords, iMessages, photos and contacts, Greatfire.org said.

Jumeirah Unveils Chinese Expansion

Trio of properties in Nanjing, Wuhan and Hainan take group’s Chinese portfolio to eight hotels

IndiGo Inks Airbus’ Largest Single Aircraft Deal

Indian low-cost carrier makes second commitment to A320 neo programme

Travel Review: Maldives’ Azure Shores Beckon

The Maldives’ idyllic landscape has long attracted honeymooners, but the islands offer far more than just a couple’s retreat.

HTC Unveils New Camera ‘RE’ And ‘Selfie’ Phone, HTC Desire Eye

RE comes with a16MP sensor and full HD video recording while the HTC Desire Eye includes 13MP front and rear cameras.

Saudi Billionaire Prince Alwaleed Plans Meeting With Indian PM Modi

Prince Alwaleed said he was “impressed” by Narendra Modi’s speech when he was in the US.

Saudi Sipchem Starts Plastics Plant With South Korea’s Hanwha Chemical

The plant, with an annual production capacity of 1,000 tonnes of plastic moulds, cost around $29.3 million to build.

Alibaba IPO Breaks Record, Ranks As World’s Biggest At $25bn

The IPO surpassed the global record set by Agricultural Bank of China in 2010 when the bank raised $22.1 billion.

Jet Airways Launches Fifth Daily Service Between Dubai And Mumbai

The airline will deploy a Boeing 737-800 aircraft to operate the new service, which will begin from October 14.

Kuwait Petroleum Eyes Stake In Indian Refinery

India, the world’s fourth largest oil consumer, imports about 80 per cent of its oil needs.