ETIHAD, the United Arab Emirates’ national carrier, will begin flights to China next year as it adds routes to create a hub in Abu Dhabi between Asia, Europe and the US.

The ruler of the Mideast’s booming economic capital, Dubai, launched a £5bn foundation today at the Dead Sea resort of Southern Shuneh, to fund education and human development in region.

The official start to Ramadan was punctuated with violent attacks around Iraq today, including an assault on a police station and the discovery of more apparent victims of sectarian death squads in the capital.

Oil-producing nations are expected to dismiss a call by Venezuelan president Hugo Chavez for a production cut as he hosts an Opec meeting.

Under pressure to lower stubbornly high oil prices, Opec ministers were gathering in Austria today to try to lower crude costs and ease the brakes on the global economy.

Encouraging signals from OPEC that it would raise production had the immediate and desired effect of lowering record-high oil prices, but analysts were wondering whether the measure would prevent a worldwide crisis.