News

Dubai / WAM Dubai’s Roads and Transport Authority (RTA) will divert three driver licensing services from customers happiness centres to smart and electronic channels as of mid-June 2021. Services to be diverted cover applications for renewing driver license, replacement of lost/damaged driver license, and the issuance of experience certificate for drivers. “From the middle of June 2021, RTA’s customer happiness ...

Dubai / WAM Saeed Mohammed Al Tayer, MD & CEO of Dubai Electricity and Water Authority (Dewa), has announced that the authority will add 600 megawatts (MW) of clean energy capacity using photovoltaic solar panels and Concentrated Solar Power (CSP) during 2021. The move will increase Dewa’s total power capacity from clean energy to 1,613 MW compared to 1,013 MW ...

Abu Dhabi / WAM A delegation of the Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan Foundation, in collaboration with the UAE Embassy in Beirut, has provided vouchers to 35,600 families in Northern Lebanon, as part of the UAE’s endless efforts to support friendly countries. An official from the foundation stated that the humanitarian initiative was launched upon the directives of the UAE’s ...

Abu Dhabi / WAM Dr Abdullah Belhaif Al Nuaimi, Minister of Climate Change and Environment, stated that the Ministry of Climate Change plans to launch a new food safety standards system in the next two months. The new system will ensure that only top-rated food products that comply with the highest international standards can enter the country, he added, stressing ...

Dubai / WAM Dubai Economy and the Dubai Business Women Council (DBWC) hosted a webinar to highlight the packages of incentives, services, and benefits that can support all UAE-based businesswomen and entrepreneurs. The webinar was part of the monthly ‘Market Dialogue’ series conducted by Dubai Economy to provide an open platform to discuss subjects of interest to the business community. ...

ABU DHABI / WAM Writers and publishers are being invited to submit their entries for next year’s Sheikh Zayed Book Award (SZBA). The submission period for the 16th edition of the SZBA, will run from June until October 1. The announcement follows the success of the 15th edition’s virtual awards ceremony, which received widespread praise and publicity after it was ...

ABU DHABI / WAM Abu Dhabi Health Services Company (Seha) is introducing WhatsApp for Business as an additional method for patients to manage their health journeys. The new channel will complement Seha’s existing platforms for bookings, such as its patient portal, app, and call centre, to streamline access to its services. The launch of the channel will automate 70% of ...

Bloomberg The UK hospitality industry warned it may lose 500,000 jobs when the government’s furlough program to support wages ends. Hotels and restaurants are saddled with back taxes of 93 million ($132 million) that will become an unsustainable burden if the government fails to drop all lockdown rules as planned on June 21, said Kate Nicholls of business lobby group ...

Bloomberg German manufacturers unexpectedly saw demand decline in April, signaling that supply shortages and higher prices are undercutting the country’s economic recovery. Orders fall 0.2%, missing a median estimate for a 0.5% gain. The Economy Ministry said weakness was driven in particular by lower domestic demand. Foreign orders were up 2.7% from the previous month. Manufacturing has been a stronghold ...

Bloomberg Sweden’s economy unexpectedly contracted in April, as weaker consumer spending dampened the largest Nordic economy’s rapid recovery from the pandemic. Gross domestic product (GD)P) shrinks 1.4% from the previous month, according to preliminary data from Statistics Sweden. Analysts polled by Bloomberg expected a 0.3% expansion. Sweden has enjoyed a rebound driven by manufacturing and exports, and its economy expanded by ...