DUBAI / WAM The Roads and Transport Authority (RTA) announced that Route 2020, the extension of the Dubai Metro line from Jebel Ali Station to Expo 2020 station, would start commercial operations on January 1, 2021. Mattar Mohammed Al Tayer, Director-General, Chairman of the Board of Executive Directors of the RTA said, “The initial operational phase would cover four stations, ...

ABU DHABI / WAM The UAE cabinet announced the national holidays for both the public and private sector for the years 2021 and 2022. Holidays for 2021: January 1: New Year. Ramadan 29 to Shawwal 3: Eid Al Fitr. Zul Hijjah 9: Arafah Day. Zul Hijjah 10,11,12: Eid Al Adha. August 12: Islamic New Year. October 21: Prophet Mohammed’s (PBUH) ...

Abu Dhabi / WAM The Ministry of Health and Prevention (MoHAP) announced that it conducted 136,132 additional Covid-19 tests over the past 24 hours, using state-of-the-art medical testing equipment. In a statement on Saturday, the ministry stressed its aim to continue expanding the scope of testing nationwide to facilitate early detection of coronavirus cases and carry out necessary treatment. As ...

Dubai / WAM Dubai Silicon Oasis Authority (DSOA), the regulatory body for Dubai Silicon Oasis (DSO), the integrated free zone technology park, on Saturday signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Canadian Society for Entrepreneurship and Innovation (CSEI). The partnership focuses on providing startups and SMEs from the UAE and Canada with the opportunity to expand their businesses internationally. Ghanim ...

ROME / WAM The Emirates Red Crescent (ERC) began distributing essentials to people affected by the harsh winter in Naples, Italy and other cities south of the country. The project is part of the winter aid programme implemented by the ERC to help people affected by cold temperatures in 25 countries, following the directives of HH Sheikh Hamdan bin Zayed ...

Abu Dhabi / WAM The UAE Public Prosecution on Saturday published a video on its social media accounts to raise awareness on the penalties regarding the possession and distribution of material that incites racial, religious and cultural hatred. The Public Prosecution warned that the penalty according to Article 12 of Federal Decree-Law No 2 of 2015 on Combatting Discrimination and ...

Bloomberg Japan will aim to more than quadruple offshore wind generation capacity in the decade to 2040 under plans to meet its mid-century emissions reduction target. The government will seek to lift offshore wind capacity to as much as 45 gigawatts in 2040 from 10 gigawatts in 2030, the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry said in a statement. Reaching ...

Bloomberg Australia is studying plans to transform a disused underground coal mine into a pumped hydro facility, part of a wider effort to reuse retiring fossil fuel sites for renewable energy generation. The A$13 million ($9.9 million) pilot trial at the Newstan Colliery, in Fassifern, about 140 kilometres (87 miles) northeast of Sydney, could offer a blueprint for dozens of ...

It’s hard to believe, but one year ago, the big news story was President Donald Trump’s impeachment. Twelve months later, a viral pandemic is killing thousands of Americans every day and Republicans are still so loyal to Trump that it took until now for Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell to acknowledge that he’d lost the November election.So it seems worth ...

Americans are in the final sprint of a record year of e-commerce spending, filling their digital carts with holiday gifts and decor in a year when public health concerns are keeping them away from stores. That online haul, though, foreshadows an unfortunate aftershock for retailers: A potentially unprecedented deluge of merchandise returns. Online purchases have long had higher rates of ...