http://www.ft.com/world/mideast/businesshttp://www.ft.com/rss/world/mideast/businessFT.com - Middle East business briefingen© Copyright The Financial Times Ltd 2008. "FT" and "Financial Times" are trademarks of the Financial Times.support@ft.comSun, 20 Apr 2008 19:17 BSTThu, 15 May 2008 11:41:05 BSTNewspapers15http://news.ft.com/cms/d1f3ce1a-6bbe-11da-bb53-0000779e2340.gifhttp://www.ft.com/world/mideast/business(PICS-1.1 "http://www.classify.org/safesurf/" L gen true for "http://www.ft.com/" r (SS~~000 1))http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/9d0e32cc-0efe-11dd-9646-0000779fd2ac.htmlhttp://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/9d0e32cc-0efe-11dd-9646-0000779fd2ac.htmlWith the country's capital market already largely liberalised thanks to reforms dating back to 2003, the government has set its sights on a far more ambitious goalSun, 20 Apr 2008 19:17 BSThttp://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/3775cb02-0ccc-11dd-86df-0000779fd2ac.htmlhttp://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/3775cb02-0ccc-11dd-86df-0000779fd2ac.htmlA large British government contract to supply Saudi Arabia with Typhoon fighter jets could be in jeopardy because of an internal US administration debate over whether to approve the dealThu, 17 Apr 2008 23:56 BSThttp://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/5772706e-0983-11dd-81bf-0000779fd2ac.htmlhttp://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/5772706e-0983-11dd-81bf-0000779fd2ac.htmlDubai International Capital and Hong Kong-based First Eastern Investment Group are establishing a $1bn fund to invest in Chinese companies seeking to both do business in the Gulf region and to list in the emirateSun, 13 Apr 2008 22:30 BSThttp://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/390401e6-04c0-11dd-a2f0-000077b07658.htmlhttp://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/390401e6-04c0-11dd-a2f0-000077b07658.htmlDelegations from Abu Dhabi and Qatar are expected to visit Beijing as Middle Eastern funds continue to scour the globe for investment opportunities for their oil revenuesTue, 8 Apr 2008 02:50 BSThttp://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/c7eb7744-03fe-11dd-b28b-000077b07658.htmlhttp://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/c7eb7744-03fe-11dd-b28b-000077b07658.htmlSaudia Arabia's Al Inma Bank launches a $2.8bn initial public offering in the latest regional IPO spurred by surging oil prices.Sun, 6 Apr 2008 18:48 BSThttp://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/e073a0d2-00f9-11dd-a0c5-000077b07658.htmlhttp://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/e073a0d2-00f9-11dd-a0c5-000077b07658.htmlA group of investors is threatening legal action against Damac Properties over the sudden cancellation of a project on Palm Jebel Ali, the second man-made island off DubaiWed, 2 Apr 2008 23:25 BSThttp://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/9bbfce9e-fe8c-11dc-9e04-000077b07658.htmlhttp://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/9bbfce9e-fe8c-11dc-9e04-000077b07658.htmlThe continued boom in bank products compliant with Islam has spurred plans to set up a new financial institution in Switzerland based on the tenets of the faithSun, 30 Mar 2008 22:09 BSThttp://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/d061c6d6-f9cb-11dc-9b7c-000077b07658.htmlhttp://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/d061c6d6-f9cb-11dc-9b7c-000077b07658.htmlThe Palestinian Invesment Fund may be the world's most unusual sovereign wealth fund but it is seeking to engender a viable, private sector-driven economy in the territoriesMon, 24 Mar 2008 18:29 GMThttp://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/b17da690-f9f8-11dc-9b7c-000077b07658.htmlhttp://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/b17da690-f9f8-11dc-9b7c-000077b07658.htmlThe move confirms the intention of the oil-rich federation to press ahead with a domestic programme separate from the Gulf Co-operation Council's plans for a joint schemeTue, 25 Mar 2008 00:24 GMThttp://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/356bae2e-f13f-11dc-a91a-0000779fd2ac.htmlhttp://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/356bae2e-f13f-11dc-a91a-0000779fd2ac.htmlCountries tied to the greenback face a knock-on effect from its continuing slideThu, 13 Mar 2008 21:09 GMThttp://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/c2b6426e-f089-11dc-ba7c-0000779fd2ac.htmlhttp://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/c2b6426e-f089-11dc-ba7c-0000779fd2ac.htmlThe US Treasury says it would freeze any assets belonging to Future Bank in an attempt to ratchet up the pressure on Tehran in the dispute about its nuclear programmeThu, 13 Mar 2008 00:21 GMThttp://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/996934e6-ef50-11dc-8a17-0000779fd2ac.htmlhttp://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/996934e6-ef50-11dc-8a17-0000779fd2ac.htmlDubai International Capital said that the chief executive of its emerging markets division has left the company after Liverpool owner Tom Hicks blocked the sale of his co-owner's shares to DICTue, 11 Mar 2008 14:33 GMThttp://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/2e10ac0c-eef5-11dc-97ec-0000779fd2ac.htmlhttp://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/2e10ac0c-eef5-11dc-97ec-0000779fd2ac.htmlQatar, Kuwait and Oman are set to join a World Bank programme aimed at converting flared natural gas – of which they produce 7bn cubic metres yearly – into commercial by-productsTue, 11 Mar 2008 01:24 GMThttp://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/bac4daaa-e956-11dc-8365-0000779fd2ac.htmlhttp://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/bac4daaa-e956-11dc-8365-0000779fd2ac.htmlDubai International Capital plans to launch a $500m private equity fund focusing on Saudi Arabia, the Gulf's biggest economy. Mon, 3 Mar 2008 19:25 GMThttp://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/f02c1e94-e4d6-11dc-a495-0000779fd2ac.htmlhttp://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/f02c1e94-e4d6-11dc-a495-0000779fd2ac.htmlSaudi Arabia plans to halt wheat production by 2016 because of concerns about the desert kingdom's scarce water resources, according to a US government agencyWed, 27 Feb 2008 02:00 GMT