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Saudi border officers killed in attack from Yemen

The men were killed by heavy gunfire from the Yemen side of the border on Friday after their patrol vehicle was hit by a mine explosion

Gulf Arabs oppose Russia role in Syria, still bent on Assad’s ouster

Saudi Arabia and the other Gulf states have reaffirmed their opposition to Assad, but have not said publicly how they intend to deal with the arrival of the Russian forces

Twin suicide attack kills 10 at Yemen Houthi mosque

The attack took place at al-Balili mosque, just outside the Old City of Sanaa

Moscow sees growing chance for international deal on Syria – source

Diplomacy has so far failed to find a solution to Syria’s crisis, now in its fifth year

Gulf countries will stick to currency dollar-pegs, Fitch says

Gulf currencies pegged to the US dollar have come under pressure but Fitch said that the decision to remove the pegs will most likely be political

Yemeni president returns to Aden after 6-month exile

His return is the most concrete sign yet that the Saudi-led military coalition has secured enough territory from the Houthis

Two Saudi soldiers missing in Yemen, presumed in Houthi custody

Evidence suggests they are alive and detained by the Houthi militias, an official said

Saudi-led air strike kills 20 in Sanaa, medics and local officials say

The attack came a day after similar air strikes killed around 50 people

Dubai property firms can weather current market correction – S&P

The real estate entities rated by S&P have “sufficient headroom in their credit ratios” to handle the slowdown, the agency said

Even as Iran opens up, travellers face credit card blocks

Two hotels will open in Tehran next month – the ibis IKIA and Novotel IKIA, the first international brands to re-enter the market since 1979

Arab solidarity, fear of Iran bring hi-tech Gulf troops to Yemen desert

Marib has become a key battlefield between Iranian-allied Houthi militia and a coalition of Yemenis and Emirati, Saudi and Bahraini troops

Middle East aviation sector eyeing wearables, new tech for growth

Investments are pouring into areas of IT that can facilitate check-in, bag drop/collection and entertainment

Falling oil prices will shrink MENA advertisement spending – Zenith

Agencies have imposed stronger spending restrictions in anticipation of lower consumer demand, the agency says

Saudi Arabia denounces Israeli actions at Jerusalem’s al-Aqsa mosque

On Tuesday, Israeli police fired stun grenades and tear gas at rock-throwing Palestinians who barricaded themselves inside al-Aqsa mosque

Dubai ruler launches $3m Arab Reading Challenge project

The project will see over a million students committing to read 50 million extracurricular books during one academic year

Home Centre reveals 50 store expansion, Dhs 1bn investment

The investment will expand upon Home Centre’s 90 store footprint

GCC construction firms continue to hire despite oil slump

Previously awarded projects are continuing without impact, experts say

Rouhani’s nuclear dividend to feature in Iranian elections

Parliament is dominated by conservatives and many analysts say Khamenei will not want Rouhani’s allies to win a majority

Pictures: Accor opens Novotel, ibis in Iran, leads Tehran hotel drive

Accor is set to become the first international hospitality company to operate in Tehran since the 1979 Revolution.

Saudi-led coalition in Yemen sees victory “no matter what”

Yemeni forces and their Arab allies are fighting to oust the Houthis in a six-month war that has killed over 4,500 people

Egypt security forces accidentally kill 12, including Mexican tourists

The tourist group of 22 had parked their four four-by-four vehicles off road for a barbecue near the Bahariya oasis

Different Arab money

GCC economies hit by oil price drop, to grow 3.4% in 2015

The UAE and Saudi Arabia have fared better than their GCC counterparts because of economic diversification, says report

Five Saudi soldiers killed at Yemen border, fighting begins in central province

The five Saudis were reportedly killed in southern Najran province

UAE Armed Forces launch ground offensive in Yemen

An Emirati serviceman was killed during the operation, state news agency WAM reported

Abu Dhabi Ports sees 41% growth between Jan-July 2015

More than 772,000 TEUs containers were handled in the first seven months of 2015

Qatar appoints first ambassador to Iraq in 25 years

Iraq’s foreign minister had said in May that Qatar would open an embassy in Baghdad

No relaxation seen in Gulf states’ curbs on Syria’s refugees

The Gulf states worry about the political, social and economic impact of an influx of refugees

UAE says over 100,000 Syrians given visas since 2011

More than 242,000 Syrian nationals currently live in the country

Majority of UAE firms planning international expansion

Around 10.4 per cent of all firms planning global expansion are from the UAE, a new poll showed

Gulf firms turn to banks to fund big projects as state coffers squeezed – SocGen

A drop in oil prices, which hit a six-and-a-half-year low last month, has pushed some Gulf state budgets into deficit for the first time in years