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Bloomberg Italy’s new government may soon seek parliamentary approval for more stimulus spending as a sluggish vaccination campaign and new coronavirus strains extend the nation’s reliance on fiscal support. Prime Minister Mario Draghi’s administration is planning to distribute about 32 billion euros ($38 billion) that was approved by the parliament in January through a new decree called “sostegno” or “support,” ...

Bloomberg Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s claims there isn’t a trade-off between Canada’s strict lockdowns and economic growth will be tested this week with the release of new output data. Analysts expect gross domestic product (GDP) shrinks by more than 5% last year, a middling result among advanced economies. The US, with far less restrictive pandemic measures last year, shrinks by ...

Bloomberg Chancellor Angela Merkel backed a relaxation of coronavirus restrictions despite a stubbornly high infection rate, acknowledging that many Germans are weary of curbs on daily life after months of lockdown. The German leader had been pushing back against increasingly insistent calls for a swifter loosening, but told lawmakers from her conservative bloc that “easing is necessary.” She explained her ...

Dubai / WAM Dubai Culture and Arts Authority announced that it will soon grant cultural visas to 1,000 creators and artists from across the world. The first initiative of its kind in the world, the cultural visa launched in 2019 by His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of ...

Dubai / WAM Etihad Airways, the UAE national airline, signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Hub71, Abu Dhabi’s global tech ecosystem, to support the expansion of entrepreneurs innovating in Abu Dhabi. The agreement makes Etihad the official airline partner of Hub71 which will offer more than 100 global startups within its tech community special rates and access to a ...

AJMAN / WAM The Emergency, Crisis, and Disaster management team in the Emirate of Ajman announced that it has mandated specific establishments to conduct a regular weekly PCR examination for all their employees, except those who have received two doses of the Covid-19 vaccine, with a commitment to download the Al-Hosn application, starting March 2. The move comes within the ...

ABU DHABI / WAM The Ministry of Health and Prevention (MoHAP) announced that it conducted 225,159 additional Covid-19 tests over the past 24 hours, using state-of-the-art medical testing equipment. As part of its intensified testing campaign, MoHAP announced 2,721 new coronavirus cases, bringing the total number of recorded cases in the UAE to 396,771. The ministry also noted that an ...

Bloomberg China’s utility giant is planning to upgrade its massive electricity grid over the next few years to allow it to move away from coal generation and reach peak carbon emissions as soon as possible. State Grid Corp of China will build new ultra-high voltage transmission lines, speed up construction of pumped hydro storage plants, and accelerate the development of ...

Bloomberg For US politicians, China’s potential to dominate sensitive cutting-edge technologies poses one of the biggest geopolitical threats of the next few decades. President Xi Jinping is similarly worried the US will block China’s rise, and this week will unveil plans for greater self-sufficiency. At an annual session of China’s legislature, top Communist Party leaders will approve a five-year policy ...

Bloomberg Bharti Airtel Ltd, India’s second-largest wireless carrier by subscribers, will spend $2.6 billion acquiring new airwaves in an ongoing spectrum auction in India. The carrier, led by billionaire Sunil Mittal, acquired airwaves worth 186.99 billion rupees ($2.55 billion), according to a statement from the company on Tuesday. It added 355.45 megahertz to its spectrum portfolio and can now reach ...