DUBAI, Jan 22 (Reuters) – The central bank of the United Arab Emirates has fended off an onslaught from hackers trying to bring down its website, the bank’s head of information technology (IT) told Reuters on Sunday.

Israeli hackers were apparently behind the attack, having vowed to target various state-linked websites in Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates in revenge for a wave of credit card code thefts by a hacker who claimed to be operating out of Saudi Arabia. The websites of Israeli institutions have also been targeted.

Hackers launched the denial-of-service (DoS) attack - usually flooding a Web server with false information to make it crash – against the UAE central bank website on Thursday, said Bob Thomson, chief manager of IT.

In response, UAE telecoms operator Etisalat, which provides fixed line services to the bank, blocked access to the website from abroad and this thwarted the hackers, Thomson said.

“There was no damage done to the website,” he added. “Etisalat was ultra careful, which was the right approach.”

Hackers calling themselves the IDF Team, an apparent reference to the Israel Defence Force, said on Wednesday in an online post they would disable the UAE central bank website.

Hackers claimed last week to have disrupted the websites of the Saudi Arabian and Abu Dhabi stock exhanges. Both bourses denied their websites had been breached.

DUBAI, Jan 19 (Reuters) – Vodafone Qatar reported a narrower third-quarter net loss on Thursday partly on a rise in mobile subscribers, but the results missed analysts’ estimates.

The firm, an affiliate of London-listed Vodafone, made a net loss of 122 million riyals, according to Reuters calculations. This compares with a loss of 144 million riyals in the same period a year ago.

Two analysts forecast the firm, which starts its financial year on April 1, would post a quarterly loss of between 113 million and 119 million riyals, according to a Reuters survey.

Vodafone Qatar had 797,000 mobile customers as of Dec. 31, up 12 percent from a year ago. In the quarter, it added 15,000 subscribers.

“Vodafone Qatar has continued to deliver improved financial results to shareholders by growing its mobile customer base,” Sheikh Abdulrahman bin Saud Al-Thani, Vodafone Qatar’s chairman said in an emailed statement.

Vodafone Qatar, which ended Qatar Telecom’s domestic monopoly in 2009, said revenue was 316 million riyals in the quarter, up from 267 million riyals a year earlier.

The operator will look to improve indoor coverage, increase data speeds and prepare to launch contract services in the fourth quarter, chief executive Richard Daly said in the statement.

DUBAI, Jan 18 (Reuters) – Etihad Etisalat (Mobily) reported a 16 percent rise in fourth-quarter profit on Wednesday, beating estimates as the Saudi telecoms operator’s data revenue and post-paid mobile subscriber numbers rose.

The carrier, an affiliate of UAE’s Etisalat, also proposed a larger-than-expected dividend of 2 riyals per share for the second half of the year.

“The main focus will be on Mobily’s dividend – if this is 1.75 riyals for the second half of 2011 it will meet previous guidance from the company,” said Farouk Miah, NCB Capital telecoms analyst, speaking before Mobily’s announcement.

The operator made a net profit of 1.7 billion riyals ($453 million) in the fourth quarter of 2011, up from 1.46 billion riyals in the same period a year ago.

Analysts polled by Reuters on average expected the firm to post a quarterly profit of 1.44 billion riyals.

Mobily, which unveiled its long-term evolution (LTE) high-speed network in September, said data revenue in 2011 rose 59 percent. Data accounted for 22 percent of total revenue last year, up from 18 percent in 2010.

Mobily’s margins fell to 40 percent in the fourth-quarter, down from 44 percent a year earlier, as the operator’s sales of low margin smart phones and tablets increased. Mobily has pushed these devices to boost data sales.

DUBAI, Jan 12 (Reuters) – Bahrain’s main telecommunications firm on Thursday said it would re-employ workers sacked after strikes connected to pro-democracy protests, the second company to do so in as many days.

More than 2,000 mainly Shi’ite workers were sacked from state-controlled companies last year for taking part in strikes and protests against perceived discrimination and the dominance of the ruling Sunni Muslim al-Khalifa family.

Bahrain Telecommunications Co (Batelco) will take back axed workers “who agree to abide by Bahrain’s labour law and Batelco internal policies”, chairman Sheikh Hamad Bin Abdulla al-Khalifa said in a statement.

Despite moves to ease tensions, unrest continues in the Gulf island state. Shi’ites and police clash almost daily outside the capital, Manama.

A Labour Ministry committee had put pressure on the company after a ministry review found that 102 of the 172 Batelco staff who lost their jobs had been illegally dismissed.

Bahrain, base for the U.S. Fifth Fleet, has also been under international pressure to reinstate Shi’ite workers.

A commission of international lawyers set up by King Hamad bin Isa al-Khalifa to investigate the unrest said in November that many Bahrainis had been unfairly dismissed. The government promised to implement its recommendations.

DUBAI, Jan 11 (Reuters)- Qatar stocks are poised to rise in the next week as traders buy in ahead of expected bumper earnings from blue-chip companies, which are benefiting from the gas-exporting economy’s buoyant performance.

Saudi Arabian banks and consumer stocks are also likely targets for investors as they seek to tap into rising domestic demand in the kingdom, whereas UAE markets will remain weak, with quarterly earnings forecasts unlikely to entice absent traders to return.

Qatar National Bank’s (QNB) stock picked up on Wednesday after tumbling 5.2 percent on Tuesday, its biggest one-day fall since late 2009, reflecting investor disappointment in a proposed 40 percent cash dividend, despite a 40 percent surge in fourth-quarter profit.

Retail investors dominate trade in the stock and the plunge in price was seen as a knee-jerk reaction as the dividend offer appeared to be lower than last year’s. Yet when calculated on an adjusted dividend per share basis – the standard used by analysts – this year’s dividend is actually higher and brokers expect the stock to head back towards this month’s record high as institutions use Tuesday’s sell-off as an opportunity to buy.

QNB rebounded 1.7 percent on Wednesday to 147.50 riyals, approaching the Jan. 5 record high of 155.90 riyals.

“The stock is still undervalued and I think it will pass 150 riyals ($41.20) soon,” said a Doha trader, who declined to be identified.

Qatar’s benchmark stock index was the top Gulf performer in 2011, and though it has dipped 0.8 percent since the start of this year, ending at 8,710.9 on Wednesday, traders predict it will recover soon.

CAIRO/DUBAI, Jan 10 (Reuters) – Egypt’s index gained 2.4 percent on Tuesday as foreign investors returned, betting the market could only gain following a disastrous 2011, while Qatar National Bank (QNB) weighed on Doha’s index after its dividend disappointed.

All but five stocks on Egypt’s benchmark index gained on bargain-hunting for beaten-down blue chips after the market lost almost half of its value last year, with trading volume up 50 percent from a day earlier.

Heavyweight stocks most favoured by foreigners were among the key gainers, with National Societe Generale Bank up 4 percent and Orascom Construction rising 4.7 percent.

“We’ve seen a clear bullish intention since the start of the year, with some growing interest from foreigners,” said Omar Darwish of brokerage CIBC.

He said foreign investors accounted for 38 percent of activity on Tuesday, compared to 15-20 percent on a normal day.

“There are still no guarantees that the market is going to fly back up,” said Darwish.

In Qatar, QNB fell 5.2 percent, its biggest drop since late 2009, after it proposed to pay a 40 percent cash dividend and issue bonus shares amounting to 10 percent of share capital.

DUBAI, Jan 9 (Reuters) – Kuwait’s benchmark fell to a seven-year low on Monday as bank stocks slumped, with traders pessimistic on the local economy amid political turmoil in the world’s sixth-largest oil exporter.

National Bank of Kuwait dropped 1.8 percent and Islamic lender Kuwait Finance House slid 1.1 percent.

The benchmark fell 0.6 percent to its lowest close since August 2004. It is down 3 percent since Kuwait’s emir dissolved parliament on Dec. 6 following sustained protests against the prime minister.

“It looks like all investors were selling today – there are still political issues in Kuwait and the government doesn’t seem to be doing anything about helping the economy, so investors are cautious,” said a Kuwait trader who asked not to be identified.

He forecast the index would extend declines from Monday’s close of 5,694 points, with its next support at 5,380.

“I am not optimistic – there are no stocks good enough to buy, because even if you think their fair value is higher than today’s price, you know they have further to fall,” he added.

Saudi Arabia’s index eased from Sunday’s five-month high as investors paused ahead of corporate earnings, with firms due to report within 15 working days of the start of 2012.

DOHA (Reuters) – France’s Jo-Wilfried Tsonga overcame compatriot Gael Monfils 7-5 6-3 in the Qatar Open final to claim his eighth career title in slippery conditions on Saturday.

Monfils beat top seed Rafael Nadal in his semi-final, while Tsonga received a bye when Roger Federer withdrew with a back injury, giving the bulky Frenchman an extra day’s rest.

That advantage ultimately told in the final, but Tsonga started sluggishly before rallying from 5-3 down in the first set as he claimed nine of the next 11 games against a fading opponent.

“At the beginning of the match Gael was incredible, he was everywhere,” Tsonga said in a court-side interview.

“I made him move a lot. Then he was a bit tired and I entered the court and my movement was really good.”

Tsonga and Monfils, each seeking their first titles since October when they won in Vienna and Stockholm respectively, began the match as fog billowed past the stadium floodlights and moisture settled on court.

Play was suspended early on for 35 minutes with the players complaining about the wet court.

DOHA, Jan 7 (Reuters) – France’s Jo-Wilfried Tsonga overcame compatriot Gael Monfils 7-5 6-3 in the Qatar Open final to claim his eighth career title in slippery conditions on Saturday.

Monfils beat top seed Rafael Nadal in his semi-final, while Tsonga received a bye when Roger Federer withdrew with a back injury, giving the bulky Frenchman an extra day’s rest.

That advantage ultimately told in the final, but Tsonga started sluggishly before rallying from 5-3 down in the first set as he claimed nine of the next 11 games against a fading opponent.

“At the beginning of the match Gael was incredible, he was everywhere,” Tsonga said in a court-side interview.

“I made him move a lot. Then he was a bit tired and I entered the court and my movement was really good.”

Tsonga and Monfils, each seeking their first titles since October when they won in Vienna and Stockholm respectively, began the match as fog billowed past the stadium floodlights and moisture settled on court.

Play was suspended early on for 35 minutes with the players complaining about the wet court.

DOHA (Reuters) – Rafa Nadal was happy with his overall preparations for the Australian Open despite suffering a surprise defeat in the semi-finals of the Qatar Open on Friday.

Gael Monfils beat the top-seeded Spaniard 6-3 6-4 to set up an all-French final against Jo-Wilfried Tsonga following Roger Federer’s withdrawal due to a back injury.

“I go to Australia very happy about what I did here,” Nadal told a news conference. “I think I played a great tournament.

“I played more aggressively than usual, including today, even if I know that’s maybe not the right thing to do. I needed to be a little bit more consistent today but I am doing the things I have to do to compete against the best players in the world.”

Last year Nadal lost the Wimbledon and U.S. Open finals to Novak Djokovic and the world number one spot to the Serb, prompting the 10-times grand slam winner to switch to a heavier racket.

“We believe this racket can help to hit the ball longer on the serve,” said the world number two.

“I may not win in Australia but I have to keep working like this and I’m going the right way to win in the future.”