Zainab Fattah Bloomberg

Hundreds of buyers scrambled to snap up luxury homes on the largest of Dubai's palm-shaped islands where villas are going for 10 times the price of when the project was launched - but never built - two decades ago.

As billionaires snapped up villas in Dubai and the city bulged with new bankers and executives, Ghida was evicted. The landlord had seen a way of doubling the roughly $3,000-a-month rent she and her husband were paying.

This month, the Dubai Land Department reported a property deal worth $163 million on Palm Jumeirah. The relentless rise of Dubai's real-estate market over the past year means that few believe even that record will stand for too long.

Guests jostle to snap selfies with the beaming ruler-in-waiting flanked by dozens of local officials. The royal works the room with the ease of an Instagram celebrity who's used to mixing with superstars like footballer Cristiano Ronaldo.

In a particularly exclusive corner of Dubai, a modern-day palace with moorish arches and an imposing gateway is rising from the desert, despite uncertainty over who will live there.

The desert gave Dubai an easy excuse to keep building. But five years into Dubai's property funk, the emirate's leadership is drawing the line.

A predawn attack on the heart of Saudi Arabia's energy industry knocked out half of the country's oil production and raised the prospect of retaliation.

Allowing Saudi women to drive could help the kingdom reap as much income as selling shares in Saudi Aramco. The move, which went into effect on Sunday, could add as much as $90 billion to economic output by 2030, with the benefits extending beyond that date, according to Bloomberg Economics.

The government was trying to trim a wage bill that eats up more than half its budget -- an outlandish share even by Gulf standards. Last year, it required public employees to swipe their fingers on a biometric reader every morning.

Show up, swipe in. The routine is familiar to office workers everywhere. In Kuwait, it proved too much to ask.

Mysterious goings-on allegedly involving the forcible detention of a Qatari royal and intercepted Bahrain-bound planes have escalated the feud straining ties among Gulf Arab monarchies.

Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman's high-speed U-turn on state handouts suggests he's betting on the backing of ordinary citizens rather than traditional pillars of support as he consolidates power.

King Salman isn't planning to abdicate in favor of his son, a senior Saudi official said, dismissing mounting speculation that Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman will soon ascend to the throne.

A little-known Qatari sheikh has been thrust into the limelight as a Saudi Arabia-led bloc tries to wring concessions from his nation to end the political feud dividing the Persian Gulf.

Saudi Arabia and its allies presented Qatar with a list of steep demands to end the crisis that has roiled the Gulf for almost three weeks, as diplomats predicted the tiny Gulf state would likely refuse to comply.

Hundreds of buyers scrambled to snap up luxury homes on the largest of Dubai's palm-shaped islands where villas are going for 10 times the price of when the project was launched - but never built - two decades ago.

As billionaires snapped up villas in Dubai and the city bulged with new bankers and executives, Ghida was evicted. The landlord had seen a way of doubling the roughly $3,000-a-month rent she and her husband were paying.

This month, the Dubai Land Department reported a property deal worth $163 million on Palm Jumeirah. The relentless rise of Dubai's real-estate market over the past year means that few believe even that record will stand for too long.

Guests jostle to snap selfies with the beaming ruler-in-waiting flanked by dozens of local officials. The royal works the room with the ease of an Instagram celebrity who's used to mixing with superstars like footballer Cristiano Ronaldo.

In a particularly exclusive corner of Dubai, a modern-day palace with moorish arches and an imposing gateway is rising from the desert, despite uncertainty over who will live there.

The desert gave Dubai an easy excuse to keep building. But five years into Dubai's property funk, the emirate's leadership is drawing the line.

A predawn attack on the heart of Saudi Arabia's energy industry knocked out half of the country's oil production and raised the prospect of retaliation.

Allowing Saudi women to drive could help the kingdom reap as much income as selling shares in Saudi Aramco. The move, which went into effect on Sunday, could add as much as $90 billion to economic output by 2030, with the benefits extending beyond that date, according to Bloomberg Economics.

The government was trying to trim a wage bill that eats up more than half its budget -- an outlandish share even by Gulf standards. Last year, it required public employees to swipe their fingers on a biometric reader every morning.

Show up, swipe in. The routine is familiar to office workers everywhere. In Kuwait, it proved too much to ask.

Mysterious goings-on allegedly involving the forcible detention of a Qatari royal and intercepted Bahrain-bound planes have escalated the feud straining ties among Gulf Arab monarchies.

Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman's high-speed U-turn on state handouts suggests he's betting on the backing of ordinary citizens rather than traditional pillars of support as he consolidates power.

King Salman isn't planning to abdicate in favor of his son, a senior Saudi official said, dismissing mounting speculation that Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman will soon ascend to the throne.

A little-known Qatari sheikh has been thrust into the limelight as a Saudi Arabia-led bloc tries to wring concessions from his nation to end the political feud dividing the Persian Gulf.

Saudi Arabia and its allies presented Qatar with a list of steep demands to end the crisis that has roiled the Gulf for almost three weeks, as diplomats predicted the tiny Gulf state would likely refuse to comply.