Zara-owner Inditex posted a rise in first-half profits Wednesday thanks to a well-honed business model allowing the Spanish group to beat rivals in whisking new trends to the shop racks.

The 'passport' rights allowing 5,500 British-based financial firms to operate freely across the European single market are at stake, the country's financial watchdog has revealed in highlighting potential fallout from Brexit.

Qatar's budget should be back to "near balance" by 2018, as it overcomes the shock waves from a global fall in energy prices, economists at Qatar National Bank have forecast.

The QNB, in its "Qatar Economic Insight" report, predicts that rising oil prices and the introduction of a value-added tax will help Qatar recover from the deficits expected in 2016 and 2017.

An oil tanker left the Libyan port of Ras Lanouf for Italy on Tuesday, an official said, the first shipment since fighting erupted over control of the "oil crescent" two years ago. 

As many as 400 migrant staff working for an electrical company in Qatar have gone unpaid for up to four months, a leading figure in the Indian community said Tuesday.

Oil prices eased in Asia Tuesday with analysts expecting volatility in the run up to a producers' meeting next week, while traders are also awaiting the release of US stockpiles data.

The commodity plunged last week on supply glut worries but bounced slightly Monday after OPEC member Venezuela said a deal to limit output was close. Unrest in key producers Libya and Nigeria also raised the prospect their exports would be hit.

Billionaire George Soros is pledging to invest up to $500 million in startups, established companies, "social impact initiatives," and businesses started by refugees and migrants.

Soros, who chairs the Open Society Institute, made the announcement Tuesday, following the first-ever U.N. summit on migrants and refugees and ahead of a meeting chaired by President Barack Obama to spur pledges to help the world's 65.3 million displaced people.

Google faces a bill of over $400 million in Indonesia if authorities find it avoided taxes last year, an official said Monday, as Jakarta began  a probe into the U.S. tech giant.

Staff at a hospital in eastern Saudi Arabia have gone on strike over unpaid wages, workers said Monday, in the kingdom's latest case of corporate financial difficulties.

Complementing Minister of Telecommunications Butros Harb request on 14 September 2016 to introduce further tariff reductions for data services and in line with the Ministry of Telecom’s Vision 2020, Bader al-Kharafi, Chairman of Lebanon mobile operator touch, and Vice Chairman of Zain Group, announced today a comprehensive range of data plans that cater to the needs of all consumers in Lebanon.

The new tariff plans, which include marked pricing reductions up to 40%, require approval from the Ministry of Telecommunications, expected to happen shortly. Upon final ministerial approval, the new plans will be effective during the month of October, 2016.