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Relationships must come ‘before business’ in GCC

People looking to do business in the region must respect cultural hierarchies, says senior Arab official

Drones and ditches as Turkey tightens border after ISIL bombing

A suicide bombing last week in the southeastern town of Suruc highlighted fears about Syria’s conflict spilling onto Turkish soil

Iran eyes $185bn oil and gas projects after sanctions

Iran will focus on its oil and gas, metals and car industries with an eye to exporting to Europe, a top official said

Kerry to visit Gulf Arab states, vows to “push back” against Iran

US Secretary of State John Kerry will seek to reassure Gulf Arab officials at a meeting in Qatar in a couple of weeks

Five Czechs missing in Lebanon possibly kidnapped – foreign minister

Their abandoned vehicle was found near Kefraya in eastern Lebanon

Non-commissioned UAE officer killed in Yemen

The officer was part of the UAE Armed Forces participating in the Saudi-led operation against Houthi rebels in Yemen

UAE helps Yemen restore operations at Aden airport

A team of experts from the UAE are using a mobile air traffic control tower to help resume operations at the Aden airport within the next two days, a senior official said

Stock news: Most Gulf markets edge up

Dubai’s index inched up 0.1 per cent as heavyweight bank Emirates NBD jumped 3.5 per cent

Bahrain summons Iranian ambassador over Ayatollah Khamenei’s comments

The Iranian leader had said on Saturday that the country would support “oppressed” people in Bahrain

Iran’s Rouhani speaks to Qatar ruler after nuclear deal

Rouhani said he expects the nuclear deal to improve relations with its neighbours

Hamas chief and Saudi king hold rare meeting

Relations between Hamas and Saudi have improved since King Salman assumed the Saudi throne in January

Iran needs time and favourable conditions to boost oil output

A substantial increase in Iran’s oil exports is probably years away, writes Reuters’ analyst John Kemp

UAE military officer dies in Yemen

The official news agency said that the soldier died while in active duty in Yemen

Qatar backs Iran deal, hopes Tehran will take “positive” stance

The deal might make Iran have a “better and positive approach” toward the GCC region, Qatar’s foreign minister says

Former Saudi spy chief says Iran nuclear deal will “wreak havoc”

Officials and Saudi media with close ties to the ruling family have privately railed against the recent nuclear deal

Saudi media label Iran deal an assault on Arab interests

A Saudi official said he feared the Iran agreement would make the Middle East more dangerous

Rouhani: Iran will no longer be called a world threat

Iran and six world powers reached a deal on Tuesday, capping more than a decade of negotiations

U.S. concerned by Bahrain moves against opposition

The U.S. State Department said the detention of opposition figures in the country “raise serious concerns about restrictions on freedom of expression in Bahrain”

Iran, big powers clinch historic nuclear deal

For Iran, the end of sanctions could bring a rapid economic boom

IBM joins Mubadala to bring supercomputer Watson to MENA

The cloud-based cognitive computing service can be used in healthcare, retail, education and finance organisations

Top five challenges faced by execs in the region – Bain

Regional directors say cyber attacks, customer loyalty are amongst the biggest challenges they face, finds new survey

Starz Play inks content deal with CBS for MENA region

As per the deal, Starz will stream premium content from Showtime and CBS for its Middle East and North Africa audience

Smartphone shipments to Middle East and Africa up 66% in Q1 2015

Smartphone shipments to the Middle East and Africa are set to total 155m units by the end of 2015, a study says

Marka signs Dhs 31m franchise deal for ice cream brand Morelli’s Gelato

Post the deal, Marka plans to open 17 Morelli’s outlets in the MENA region by 2020

US-led coalition launches new counter-terrorism centre in Abu Dhabi

The Sawab Centre will use direct online engagement to counter terrorist propaganda used to attract foreign fighters to ISIL’s cause

Stock news: Oil plunge may depress Gulf; Emaar Misr key for Egypt

Brent crude dived more than 6 per cent on Monday into the $56 a barrel level

Saudi-led air strikes kill nearly 100 in Yemen

The UN has been pushing for a halt to the air strikes and fighting that has killed nearly 3,000 people in Yemen since March

Egypt arrests Brotherhood members for alleged Suez plot

The security sources said the men formed a 13-member cell that included an employee at the Suez Canal Authority

Stock news: Gulf markets fall on oil, Greece

Brent crude dropped below $60 a barrel to its lowest since mid-April after Greeks voted ‘No’ in their bailout referendum

UAE’s Dana Gas wins favourable ruling in Kurdistan dispute

The Abu Dhabi-listed firm had filed an arbitration case in London in October 2013 against the Kurdistan Regional Government