Economics and Policy UAE president Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan has accepted an invitation from Iranian president Hassan Rouhani to visit Tehran. More from Arabian Business Caretaker Energy and Water Minister Gebran Bassil has urged politicians to end a dispute that has blocked the passage of key oil and gas legislation, while reiterating that he would not change the January 10 date for the offshore gas auction. More from The Daily Star The confidence of Lebanese consumers plunged further this year as the political standoff wreaked more damage to the economy, a new survey showed Wednesday. More from The Daily Star Saudi Arabia needs to strengthen its private sector to satisfy demand for jobs by its young population and reduce its dependence on oil exports, a senior International Monetary Fund official has warned. More from Reuters Companies and Business Saudi Arabian banks are scaling back
