Bank Mergers Spread in Mideast as Low Oil Signals Boom Days Over

Oil's more than 50 percent plunge over the past two years is forcing countries such as the United Arab Emirates, Qatar and Saudi Arabia to cut state spending, tap reserves and combine some of their largest banks to reduce costs and duplication. International Bank of Qatar QSC said this week they are in talks to create the country's largest sharia-compliant bank and the third-largest such lender in the Middle East, with assets worth more than 160 billion riyals . Talks are at an early stage, according to the banks, which didn't give details on the structure of the possible deal.

Trump benefits from countries with anti-gay laws

Donald Trump is casting Hillary Clinton as an enemy of the LGBT community and women, using her family foundation's acceptance of contributions from Middle Eastern countries with widely-reported human rights abuses to hit his 2016 presidential rival on the campaign trail. In the wake of the Orlando massacre of 49 people, Trump cited Clinton Foundation's acceptance of up to $25 million in contributions from Saudi Arabia's government as a sign she is not dedicated to the cause of LGBT Americans.