Egypt is seeking about $450 million in loans from the World Bank to finance its airport and irrigation projects, Mahmood Ayub, World Bank country director for Egypt said.

Work on a new BD200 million ($530 million) tourism resort in Bahrain, co-owned by the Ministry of Finance and National Economy and Lulu Tourism Company, is expected to begin by December.

The first phase of a BD6 million ($15.9 million) project to turn Adhari Park into a major tourist attraction has been completed. The first phase involved the renovation of the Adhari pool and its surrounding area, and the construction of a mosque, at a cost of BD600,000.

AMA International University is to develop its new complex in Salmabad over the coming five years at a cost of more than $50 million, founder and chairman Dr Amable Aguiluz said.

The US has alerted American firms of future contracts worth at least $1.5 billion in the second phase of its Iraq reconstruction plans, a US Agency for International Development (USAID) official said.

The ever-increasing demand for Garmco's products, has pushed the Arabian Gulf's premier aluminium rolling mill onto a drive for competitiveness and cost reduction. The plant is investing in both its plant and staff in order to increase its annual capacity from 125,000 to 145,000 tonnes.

A team of Japanese experts will formulate a 25-year master plan for the development of a national road network on behalf of the Omani government.

Muharraq will soon be given a BD400,000 ($1,067,000) face-lift with a landmark gate, two promenades and a public beach, said the Muharraq Governor Salman bin Isa bin Hindi. The leading project - the Bab Al Muharraq (Muharraq gate) -designed by Bahraini artist, Jassim Al Meer, is the brainchild of the people of Muharraq and the governorate.

Oman and India broke ground on $1 billion fertiliser plant in the port city of Sur last month. The project, which was announced in 1993, will supply India with 1.65 million tonnes of urea and about 250,000 tonnes of surplus merchant grade ammonia every year, according to the Indian ambassador Talmiz Ahmed.

The Omani government is planning to build a $200 million pipeline to supply gas for the expansion of liquefied natural gas (LNG) plant in the eastern coastal town of Sur.

An agreement was signed between Stow Group of Companies and Solidere for the development of the land area surrounding the Beirut Marina in Lebanon. The development has a total built-up area of 20,000 sq m in the new urban waterfront in Beirut. Steven Holl is the architect for the project and is expected to be completed by the spring of 2006.

Union Architectural Hardware is set to open its latest Union Design Centre (UDC) -  the fourth such facility to be established in the region - in Qatar this month. The centre will be located in Salwa Road, Doha.

Study complete on causewayManama: A feasibility study has been completed and conceptual designs have been drawn up for the proposed 40 km Bahrain-Qatar Causeway, which is expected to be the longest in the world. As per the study, it is estimated that the causeway would cost $2 billion (BD756 million) to build and would take four years to complete.