News

Bloomberg A Boeing Co 737 Max 7 has arrived at the Shangai airport for flight tests by Chinese authorities, the Paper reported. Chinese aviation officials last month signalled they are open to conducting flight tests on the plane in a step towards lifting its grounding after more than two years. China was the first nation to ground the Max, acting …

Bloomberg Oil declined for a third day as the coronavirus spread in China and a report showed a surprise build in US crude inventories. West Texas Intermediate futures slumped as much as 3.4%. The delta strain of Covid-19 has been detected in almost half of China’s 32 provinces in two weeks, and at least 46 cities have advised residents against …

DUBAI / Emirates Business Worldwide 5G network infrastructure revenue is on pace to grow 39% to total $19.1 billion in 2021, up from $13.7 billion in 2020, according to the latest forecast by Gartner, Inc. Communications service providers (CSPs) in mature markets accelerated 5G development in 2020 and 2021 with 5G representing 39% of total wireless infrastructure revenue this year. …

ABU DHABI / WAM The Association of Agricultural Research Institutions in the Near East and North Africa (AARINENA) has signed a cooperation agreement with Food and Agriculture Organisation of the United Nations (FAO) to establish and operate research, technology and innovation platform for an integrated production system for date palm in the Middle East and North Africa region, according to …

MAKKAH / WAM/ SPA The Technical and Service Authority at the Grand Mosque in Makkah has intensified its preparations for the Umrah season. Sterilisation and perfuming processes of the Grand Mosque and its outdoor parks are going on round the clock to prevent the spread of the Covid-19 pandemic. More than 4,000 workers are sterilising the Grand Mosque and related …

Bloomberg Oil posted its fourth straight monthly gain as steady demand and tight supplies calmed concerns that a new wave of Covid-19 infections would cripple energy consumption. Futures in New York ended the week 2.6% higher. While cases of the virus’s delta variant have surged in recent weeks, mobility and other data point to strong demand in key economies that …

GENEVA / WAM Trade in medical goods registered growth of 16.3 percent in 2020 — compared with 4.7 percent growth in 2019 when the Covid-19 pandemic was just starting, according to the World Trade Statistical Review 2021 issued by the World Trade Organisation (WTO). Exports of medical products, including medicines, medical equipment and PPE, rose by more than 16 percent, …

Bloomberg Oil steadied as the resurgent pandemic posed a fresh threat to fuel demand even as global crude markets continued to tighten. Futures fluctuated near $72 a barrel in New York. The rebound in key energy consumers such as the US and China has helped to underpin increasing fuel consumption and drained bloated stockpiles built up during the pandemic. The …

ISLAMABAD / WAM Pakistan and Saudi Arabia on Tuesday agreed to strengthen their relationship particularly in the economic domain including cooperation in trade, investment and technology. Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi and his Saudi counterpart Prince Faisal bin Farhan bin Abdullah in a joint presser held at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, vowed to continue extending support to each other …

DUBAI / WAM The distribution of food parcels has been completed in Egypt, providing an equivalent of 30 million meals to low-income families and underprivileged “100 Million Meals” campaign. In partnership with the Food Banking Regional Network, 928 local humanitarian organisations and Egypt Food Bank, around 504,000 beneficiaries across Egypt received parcels of easy-to-store food items including flour, sugar, rice …