NEWS & INSIGHTS

Real estate markets in Dubai and Abu Dhabi witnessed marginal growth in property prices during May, according to a new report by Bayut. Compared to April, average apartment rents in Dubai grew 1.57 percent in May, while average rental yields […]

Authorities in Kuwait have arrested 800 expats for violating residency and labour laws during a security crackdown. Police also arrested three defendants linked to a drugs case in Hawalli, reported The Times Kuwait. They also registered five drugs and alcohol […]

A new tax on white land approved by the Council of Ministers in Saudi Arabia is expected to create a shift in the kingdom’s real estate market, says a leading property consultant. Jamil Ghaznawi, country manager of JLL Saudi Arabia […]

Saudi Arabia has revealed plans to set up an “Energy City” with state-of-the-art infrastructure as part of Saudi Vision 2030, a senior official has said. Khalid Al-Falih, minister of energy, industry and mineral resources said that the aim of the […]

Doha: Plastic and ready-made, it’s a city built for Jeff Koons.  When I run into him in March at the elevator bank at the
W Doha Hotel, it feels staged. House music plays at a tasteful volume for nine o’clock in […]

One of the challenges to start and operate a business in the United Arab Emirates ‘mainland’ is the element of the local sponsor owning 51 per cent of the business. Historically, the legislation in Gulf states has only allowed partial […]

How should policymakers in the Gulf states manage their countries’ large expatriate workforces? In Saudi Arabia, foreign nationals account for roughly one-third of the population. In Qatar and the UAE, nine out of every ten residents is an expatriate. Should […]

Arabian Centres, the Saudi-based developer, owner and operator of shopping malls, announced on Wednesday that it has entered into a tenancy agreement that will see Swedish giant IKEA open in Jeddah. The deal has been signed with Ghassan Ahmed Al […]

The number of expats in the Saudi Arabian cities of Jeddah and Jubail is reportedly higher than that of Saudi nationals, according to reports from the kingdom. The revelation prompted calls for the Vision 2030 to include plans to curb […]

Ministers have approved a draft law setting out regulations for special economic zones aimed at attracting inward investment in Qatar, it was reported on Thursday. Qatar’s cabinet has referred the bill to the Advisory Council, Qatar News Agency (QNA) was […]

Oman’s total population exceeded 4.44 million in May, posting a 0.3 percent increase over the previous month, according to the latest data published by the National Centre for Statistics and Information (NCSI). Expatriates numbered over 2.02 million, forming 45.5 percent […]

DUBAI, renowned across the world for its oil wealth, now wants to forge a reputation for the arts. In recent years, the emirate has built several contemporary art galleries including Artspace and the Mottahedan Projects. Now, construction crews are putting […]