*U.N. says Syria conflict a humanitarian catastrophe. LONDON, May 17- Syria has managed to increase its grain imports in recent months after a period when it was less active on international markets, traders say, a development that suggests President Bashar al-Assad has found a way to feed his people despite war.
SINGAPORE, May 17- London copper futures edged lower on Friday to remain on course to end a three-week upward streak, undermined by a firmer dollar and indications that demand from top consumer China is unlikely to pick up strongly as Beijing shuns stimulus measures.
SINGAPORE, May 16- Singapore Airlines Ltd reported weaker-than-expected full-year results and warned of a deteriorating environment as it struggles to cope with the rapid emergence of Gulf carriers and low cost Asian rivals.
NEW YORK, May 15- Qatar Airways' top executive said the Middle Eastern carrier wants to be a launch customer for Boeing Co's forthcoming 777 X mini-jumbo jet, and that the airline plans to open at least three new routes to the United States in the next 12 to 18 months. "
CAIRO, May 15- Egypt said on Wednesday it had settled disputes with the Dubai- based developer DAMAC involving projects dating back to the Mubarak era- an agreement the government hopes will reassure prospective investors.
NEW YORK, May 15- Qatar Airways' top executive said the Middle-Eastern carrier wants to be a launch customer for Boeing Co's forthcoming 777 X mini-jumbo jet, and that the airline plans to open at least three new routes to the U.S. in the next 12 to 18 months. "
*Turkey's monetary policy mix is unusually intricate. DUBAI, May 15- When Turkey's central bank cut interest rates last month, its decision aroused a mixture of approval, criticism and sheer confusion about exactly what the decision aimed to achieve.
DUBAI, May 15- A drive for tighter regulation of Saudi Arabia's stock market may help to break the hold of short-term speculators on share prices, making the market more attractive to local and foreign institutional investors.
KUWAIT, May 15- A ruling by Kuwait's top court next month could end a period of relative political stability, jeopardising government plans to push ahead with long-delayed economic projects.
Two contestants are from civil war-ravaged Syria, including a singer-composer whose bus was ambushed by gunmen en route to her audition and a music student who brought judges to tears with a song lamenting the devastation of his hometown of Aleppo.
DUBAI/ BOSTON, May 11- Two companies with major operations in India were the weak links that opened the door to a $45 million global cyber heist brought to light by U.S. authorities this week.
DUBAI/ NEW YORK, May 11- One of the credit card processing companies whose security was breached in a $45 million global cyber heist was India's ElectraCard Services, according to two people familiar with the situation.
DUBAI, May 10- A Middle Eastern bank that fell victim to a major cyber fraud said on Friday that none of its customers had lost any money in a scam which it believed had also caught up lenders in the United States and beyond.
DUBAI, May 10- National Bank of Ras Al Khaimah said on Friday that none of its customers had lost any money as a result of a cyber fraud which resulted in a loss at the Gulf bank in 2012..
*Raises demand for OPEC crude forecast by 90,000 bpd. *OPEC sees downside risk to 2013 oil demand growth. LONDON, May 10- OPEC will need to pump slightly more oil than it thought in 2013 and expects global consumption to be much higher in the rest of the year, signs of a stronger market that argue against any calls for supply restraint when the group meets on May 31.