ABU DHABI / WAM UAE Minister of State for International Cooperation Reem Al Hashemy will participate in the Global Vaccine Summit 2020 which will be hosted by British Prime Minister Boris Johnson. This will be the main UK-hosted global health summit this year and the first virtual summit that the Johnson will host since the start of the Covid-19 pandemic. …

Bloomberg A bipartisan group of senators is planning to introduce legislation that would expand US sanctions against Gazprom PJSC’s Nord Stream 2 pipeline between Russia and Germany by taking aim at insurance companies that work with Russian vessels on completion of the project. Senator Ted Cruz, one of the lead sponsors of the legislation, said the pipeline poses “a critical …

Bloomberg French oil company Total SA has bought a 51% stake from utility SSE Plc in the development of a massive wind farm off the coast of Scotland. The 70-million-pound investment ($88 million) in the Seagreen 1 wind farm will be Total’s first significant foray into offshore wind as it seeks to expand its green energy business. SSE could also …

Bloomberg A Nigerian court suspended the government’s cancellation of eight oil concessions, hampering the state’s ability to include the withdrawn permits in a bidding round opened this week. A judge at the Federal High Court in Lagos granted an injunction, preventing the government from re-awarding the eight permits before a lawsuit challenging the legality of the terminations is resolved. Ten …

Bloomberg Three years after Elon Musk took up a challenge to solve Australian power outages by building the world’s biggest battery, a Siemens AG venture wants to install even larger ones to bolster renewable investment in the nation. Fluence, a partnership between Germany’s Siemens and Arlington, Virginia-based AES Corp, is proposing to build two giant lithium-ion batteries at strategic points …

Bloomberg China completed construction of a $3.17 billion ultra-high voltage (UHV) electricity line that for the first time will transport only clean energy. It’s the first UHV line in the world built to transmit only carbon-free electricity, its developer, State Grid Corp of China, said. It will allow more renewables to be developed in Qinghai and Gansu provinces and deliver …

Bloomberg China will ease its ban on foreign airlines starting from June 8, changing course a day after the Trump administration demanded the country reopen to US airlines or face curbs on its own carriers flying passengers to America. Foreign airlines excluded from an earlier pact will be able to operate one commercial passenger flight to China a week, the …

Bloomberg Delta Air Lines Inc will block middle seats on all its aircraft through September 30, extending the policy for three months to soothe passenger fears about contracting the coronavirus. The carrier will switch to larger planes or add flights on high-demand routes that approach seating limits, Delta said in a statement. The Atlanta-based carrier previously guaranteed empty middle seats …

Bloomberg The UK government warned British Airways (BA) it risks losing valuable airport landing slots after deciding to let go 12,000 staff while claiming government money to protect jobs during the coronavirus pandemic. An aviation debate in parliament was dominated by concerns about the former flag-carrier’s plans to slash its workforce. Transport Minister Kelly Tolhurst, responding to questions from lawmakers, …

Bloomberg Amazon.com Inc is expanding its air cargo operations with plans to grow its fleet to more than 80 planes as the online retailer takes advantage of a depressed market for aircraft during the pandemic. The company announced that it had leased 12 converted Boeing 767-300 passenger planes from Air Transport Services Group Inc. One was added to Amazon’s existing …