MEED
Issue No 26 26 June - 2 July 2009
View all stories from this issue.
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Abu Dhabi invites firms to manage metro development
Abu Dhabi is inviting selected companies to bid by 5 July for a project management consultancy contract for the city's transport networks, including the proposed Abu Dhabi Metro. -
Abu Dhabi plans Olympic stadium
Project is to be developed at Mina Zayed in a joint venture with The John Buck Company of the US. -
Abu Dhabi seeks project manager for Capital City project
Abu Dhabi's Urban Planning Council (UPC) is inviting selected firms to bid by 19 July for a contract to provide project management services on its Capital City District development, one of the largest projects in the emirate. -
Abu Dhabi to enter talks over Ruwais
Abu Dhabi is to hold talks with international firms submitting technical bids for two contracts to manage the expansion of Abu Dhabi Oil Refining Company's (Takreer) refinery at Ruwais, before setting a deadline for commercial bids. -
Amman to award Aqaba nuclear study
Amman will award a site study contract for the country's first nuclear power plant at Aqaba by the end of August, says one source close to the scheme. -
Baghdad's plan to win the peace
Having improved the security situation, the government is aiming to get the economy back on track. -
Balance needed in historic Jeddah
About 400 historical sites have been destroyed in Jeddah's old city over the past 30 years. -
Cairo awards $639m worth of deals on third line of metro
French firms Vinci and Alstom lead groups that have won phase-two work. -
Cement sector faces period of oversupply
While demand remains high, six more cement plants are due to come on stream in the Gulf this year. -
Cement sector faces period of oversupply
While demand remains high, six more cement plants are due to come on stream in the Gulf this year. -
Clients save money by delaying projects in the region
National oil companies have made average savings of 19 per cent by holding back schemes since last year. -
Delays in oil and gas projects have been good for Doha
QP's decision to press ahead with Al-Shaheen and Barzan suggests it does not expect prices to fall further. -
Doha relaunches stalled energy schemes
Qatar Petroleum to invite contractors to bid for $10bn worth of work on Al-Shaheen and Barzan projects. -
Doha to open bidding for second phase of Ras Laffan
Tender of refinery expansion to begin before first phase is completed. -
Dolphin Energy abandons pursuit of $500m Islamic loan
Abu Dhabi-based Dolphin Energy has dropped plans to raise a $500m Islamic loan because its conventional bank debt is heavily oversubscribed. -
DP World halts expansion of Jebel Ali
UAE ports operator delays capacity upgrade until there is clear evidence of an economic recovery. -
Gulf funds reduce equity holdings
Fears that second and third-quarter results will show share prices are overvalued prompt move into cash. -
Gulf markets are set for a fall
Wary of how quickly prices have recovered, some fund managers have already been taking profits. -
Heat will hit Olympic dream in the Gulf
With governments spending billions of dollars, the aim is to host leading sports events. The weather, rather than the facilities, will be the main obstacle. -
Iraq right to focus on jobs
The results of the election in December will show whether voters continue to prioritise the economy. -
Iraqi oil round survives last-minute challenge
Critics claim production-sharing agreements offered to oil majors compromise sovereignty of assets. -
Ithmaar Bank
The Bahraini Islamic investment bank is diversifying its operations through its Vision 3 subsidiary. -
Ithmaar Bank: MEED Assessment
Before the downturn hit, the bank had been reporting record results, but it has suffered as a result of the financial turmoil -
Muscat seeks to end delays on Salalah power project
Electricity and water authority has appointed an adviser to speed up stalled contract award process. -
Q&A: Mohamed Hussain, Co-CEO, Ithmaar Bank
The bank believes its greatest strength is its diversity -
Qatar tackles region's jobless youth
The Silatech organisation was established last year to help young people find jobs or set up businesses of their own. But Yemenis and Moroccans are benefitting from the initiative just as much as Qataris. -
Restoring the commercial capital of Jeddah
The $8bn plan to regenerate the centre of Jeddah signals a change in attitude to the city, which has been overlooked for decades as developers focused on projects in Riyadh. -
Riyadh is the Gulf's new financial centre
The decision to locate the GCC Monetary Council in Riyadh rather than Abu Dhabi demonstrates the perceived strength of the regulatory environment in the kingdom. -
Riyadh takes slow route to reform
While the kingdom's leaders accept the need to change some of its more conservative policies, the pace of reform will be set by the traditionalists rather than the radicals. -
Riyadh's utility plans for growing demand
With power consumption in the kingdom threatening to outstrip supply, Saudi Electricity Company is set to invest $54bn in building additional generation capacity by 2018. -
Russian bank opens office in Dubai to support contractors
Russian contractors bidding for project work in the Middle East and North Africa (Mena) will get financial support from Russia's state-controlled bank, VTB Capital, following the opening of the bank's first office in the region, in Dubai in late June. -
Saudi Aramco waits for demand to return
Having worked hard over the past five years to increase its oil production capacity to 12.5 million barrels a day, Saudi Aramco is holding back on raising output while the market remains subdued. -
Special Report: Saudi Arabia - King's reforms gather pace
The decision in May by GCC member states to house the new Monetary Council, a precursor to the GCC central bank, in Riyadh was controversial because of the widespread expectation that Abu Dhabi would be picked. But for Saudi Arabia, the significance of the outcome goes well beyond regional politics; it is a wider recognition that the kingdom’s financial markets are maturing. -
UAE district cooling
The six key figures in the UAE’s district cooling sector are: Ahmad bin Shafar, Sujit Parhar, Shafiq Khoori, Fouad Younan, Faris Abour and Martyn Calvert.
