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Dubai Hotel Occupancies Hit 87.6% In February

HotStats MENA report highlights good month for UAE hotels and Jeddah whereas across the region the trading picture is mixed

Middle East Investors Pour Money Into London’s Property Market

European real estate investment from the Middle East reached nearly €10 billion ($13.7 billion) in 2013, finds CBRE report.

M&A Deal Activity Rises In Middle East, Africa As Global Volumes Fall

African countries are catching the eye of international investors as growth decelerates in India, China and Brazil.

Egyptian Soldier Killed, 3 Police Wounded In Attack On Bus

There was no immediate claim of responsibility for the attack.

GE Appoints New President, CEO For The GCC

Dalya Al Muthanna is the first UAE national to take on the senior position.

Anthony Miles: The Coherent Conglomerate

The Gulf’s empires are facing an internal challenge: the need to pull together under one brand, writes Anthony Miles, a consultant at Bladonmore.

Arab League Summit In Kuwait Merely Papers Over Rifts

Saudi Arabia, the UAE and Bahrain have accused Qatar of disregarding an accord not to interfere in fellow Arab states’ internal affairs.

HSBC Appoints New Head Of MENA Retail And Wealth Management

Khalid Elgibaly, formerly the chief executive of Standard Chartered in Pakistan, will take on the role.

Egypt’s EFG-Hermes Sinks To 2013 Loss On One-Off Charges

EFG-Hermes said the one-off charges totalled 761 million pounds, including 616 million in the fourth quarter alone.

Middle East Funds Bullish On Regional Equity Markets

Survey finds that 47 per cent of the funds expect to raise their equity allocations to the Middle East over the next three months.

Egypt’s Sisi To Run For President, Vows To Tackle Militancy

Sisi toppled Mohamed Mursi of the Muslim Brotherhood last July after mass protests against his rule and has emerged as an influential figure.

Arab States Pledge To Work To End Rifts

Saudi, the UAE and Bahrain recalled their ambassadors from Qatar three weeks ago, accusing it of interfering in fellow Arab states’ internal affairs.

Occidental Middle East Asset Sale Delayed Due To Regional Disputes

The firm said last year that it planned to sell a minority stake in its regional operations as a part of a restructuring program to lift its valuation.

Egypt’s Naeem Holding To Cross-List On Abu Dhabi Exchange

The company has given no details of the timing or size of the listing.

Arab Summit Opens, Leaders Struggle With Multiple Rifts

The gathering in Kuwait follows an unprecedented row among members of the GCC over Qatari support for Egypt’s Muslim Brotherhood, and a verbal spat between Iraq and Saudi Arabia.

PineBridge Buys 50% Stake In Turkish Therapy And Rehab Chain

The stake in Romatem is PineBridge’s second investment in Turkey and its third deal in the Middle East.

Yahoo Maktoob Redesigns Homepage, Boosts ME Football Coverage

The company recently launched an Arabic football app and the Yahoo Fantasy Premier League in Arabic.

Virgin’s Branson Confirms Gulf Funding For Cruise Ship Project

Branson was looking for potential Middle East investors for his $1.7 billion cruise ship project, according to media reports.

Servcorp Targets Gulf Expansion

The declaration by Servcorp’s CEO was followed by the first public announcement confirming 120 day ‘hassle free’ business licenses will be made available in Dubai.

GCC Rift Looms Large Ahead Of Arab League Summit

Iran and Syria are the main issues for discussion at the summit, scheduled to take place in Kuwait on March 25-26.

U.S. Drops Bid To Arrange Obama Summit With Divided Gulf States

The U.S. has abandoned efforts to arrange a summit with Gulf Arab leaders due to divisions with the group of its regional allies, officials said.

Defying Allies, Qatar Unlikely To Abandon Favoured Syria Rebels

Qatar’s Syria policy matters not only because Doha remains a generous backer of the opposition but also because its dispute with other funders.

GCC’s Uber Wealthy On An Investment Spree – Survey

Around 90 per cent of the GCC’s high net worth individuals are more focused on wealth generation than preservation.

Middle Eastern Property Investors Turn West As Regional Instability Continues

London remained the favourite Western destination for regional real estate investors.

Middle East’s Energy Firms Are ‘Highly Adept’ At Risk Management

Oil and gas firms in the Middle East have an above-average approach to risk management compared to their global counterparts, a study says.

Majority Of UAE Firms To Hire 10 Staff Over Next Three Months

Receptionists, accountants and human resource professionals are the most sought after groups among the employers in the UAE.

Huge Housing Deal May Signal Gulf Investment Push Into Egypt

Dubai firm Arabtec has signed a $40 billion deal to build one million homes in Egypt.

Saudi Listing Of Brotherhood As Terrorist Group Complicates Gulf Ties

Despite the brotherhood’s taste for populist electoral politics, no other GCC member, apart from Saudi Arabia, has declared it a terrorist organisation.

Tablet Shipments To Middle East, Africa Up 111% In Q4 2013

A total of 3.45 million units were shipped to the region during the final quarter of 2013, according to IDC.

Telecom Egypt Expects Mobile Licence In March Or April

Telecom Egypt has been relying on its data business to boost revenue.