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Marriott To Open 49 New MENA Hotels By 2017

The hotel group is officially launching the world’s tallest hotel, the JW Marriott Marquis Dubai, tonight.

Egypt Hot Air Balloon Crash Kills 19 Tourists

Nationals from Britain, France, Japan and Hong Kong are among the dead after a gas explosion at 1,000 feet.

Chinese Bank ICBC ME Posts 69% Rise In 2012 Profit

Industrial and Commercial Bank of China’s Middle East unit posted a pre-tax profit of $54 million in 2012.

GCC Food Consumption To Hit $106bn By 2018

Food is the largest segment of consumer expenditure in the region and stood at $83 billion year-end 2012, says new report.

Pictures: $75M Swiss Penthouse Targeted At Gulf Buyers

In return for their multimillion franc investment, owners will receive “full on effortless living”

Fiat Chrysler Group ME Sees 2012 Record Year

The U.S. car manufacturer – which houses the Chrysler, Dodge, Jeep and Ram brands – sold 25,321 vehicles in the region.

QNB Bid For 100% Of Soc Gen Approved

Qatar National Bank had planned to buy 77 per cent of National Societe Generale Bank last year.

Kerry Makes First Foreign Trip To Middle East

The top U.S. diplomat will visit Saudi Arabia, Qatar and the UAE in his nine-country whistle stop tour.

Rotana To Debut In Turkey

Twin projects near Istanbul target leisure travellers as operator seeks new revenue opportunities outside GCC

Turkish Airlines To Spend $120m On Ads This Year

The carrier’s recent advertisement featuring sports stars Lionel Messi and Kobe Bryant has received over 102 million YouTube hits.

Most Successful GCC Companies Abroad

A list of the most successful Gulf companies to take the international business world by storm.

Drone Manufacturers Target Rising Gulf Arab Demand

“All countries in the Arabian Gulf are talking to us,” says one executive in the unmanned aerial vehicle business.

Qatar Gives $100m In Humanitarian Aid To Syria

Donor countries meeting in Kuwait last month pledged more than $1.5 billion to aid Syrians affected by the civil war.

Middle East Urged To Address Food Security Issues

Recent predictions suggest the value of food imports into the GCC alone will hit US$53.1 billion by 2020.

Covered Sukuk To Offer Investors Greater Security

The structure could play a role in Islamic finance after it was used for the first time by London-based subsidiary of Kuwaiti firm Securities House.

Egypt’s Economy Grew 2.4% In Second Half Of 2012

Consumer spending has been a main driver for the economy battered by two years of political turmoil.

StanChart Hires Ex-RBS Banker For Top MENA Job

Tom Emmet will head up the lender’s mergers and acquisitions business in the MENA region.

Almost 60% Of UAE Firms To Hire In Q1 2013

Up to 57 per cent of companies in the UAE are definitely or probably hiring new personnel in the coming three months, finds new survey.

Geopolitical Sanctions Weigh On Dubai Consumer Banking

The emirate is sensitive to the issue given its geographical positioning to countries targeted by sanctions.

Diabetes In The Middle East – What Can Be Done?

UNICEF eyes the prevention; global healthcare giant Medtronic targets a cure.

Invest In GCC Stock Markets, UAE Real Estate, Says Expert

Signs of recovery are visible in the market with strong indications of growth, according to a senior official at Emirates NBD.

Kuwait Energy Eyes Strong Ties With Baghdad

Oil majors Exxon Mobil and Total have upset the government by signing deals in Kurdistan.

GCC Online Banking ‘Less Mature’ Than Developed Markets

Demographics of the region’s internet users and number of people online suggest it could improve rapidly.

Long-Term Thinking About Oil Prices

Forecasts about nominal prices far in the future, and comparisons with past prices are “meaningless”.

Oil Rises Above $117 Ahead Of ECB Meeting

Brent has steadily risen over the past three weeks as positive economic data in key economies boosted the outlook for oil consumption.

Gulf’s Mixed Takaful Rules Hurting Margins

Lack of coordination among regulators is making life difficult for takaful operators, says insurance rating agency.

Tunisian Government Dissolved After Critic’s Killing Causes Fury

Chokri Belaid, a left-wing lawyer, was gunned down on Wednesday, leading to street protests across the country.

Prepare For Bear Market In Bonds – Coutts Middle East

The private bank’s chief investment officer warns of losing money in Islamic bonds this year.

Lufthansa Halts Libya Flights Due To Security Worries

This is the second time this year that flights to a Libyan city have been cancelled due to security concerns.

Bentley Reports Record Year For Middle East

The Continental GT and GTC W12 continued as the brand’s most popular models in the region.