News

DUBAI / WAM Two months since making history as the first UAE astronaut to travel to space, Hazza Al Mansoori has now focused his attention on the UAE’s Hope Mission, set to reach the Red Planet on the country’s 50th anniversary, making it the ninth country to touch down on the planet. Al Mansoori is also working on the UAE’s ...

ABU DHABI / WAM The electronic system for the Tax Refunds for Tourists Scheme exceeded all expectations in its first year, asserted Khalid Ali Al Bustani, Director-General of the Federal Tax Authority (FTA), revealing that the scheme has processed a total of 2.83 million applications since its launch in November 2018. The average daily number of applications the scheme processes ...

Abu Dhabi / WAM The UAE will celebrate the annual UN Arabic Language Day on December 18, to mark the passing, in 1973, of a resolution to make the Arabic language an official language of the United Nations. In this report, the Emirates News Agency (WAM), highlights the UAE’s leading efforts and initiatives to preserve and protect the Arabic language ...

ABU DHABI / WAM The Abu Dhabi General Services Company (Musanada), revealed that work on the Jebel Hafeet School project in Al Ain city is progressing according to the agreed construction plan at a total cost of approximately AED117.3 million, with the actual completion percentage currently at around 58 percent. Musanada stated that it is building the school on a ...

Bloomberg China will provide retaliatory tariff waivers to buyers of US farm products on a more regular basis after the countries reached a phase one trade deal, according to people familiar with the situation. Waivers had previously been given in tranches but they’ll now be handed out more frequently, said the people, who asked not to be identified as the ...

Bloomberg Hong Kong’s economy ends the year wounded, with the chances for stabilisation in 2020 hanging on whether future protests are peaceful or lapse back into violence. Economists forecast a 1.3% contraction for 2019 and predict year-on-year declines will continue in the first two quarters of 2020. Yet the unrest has tapered in recent weeks after an electoral win for ...

Bloomberg Philippine authorities looked to soothe investor fears as uncertainty over the capital’s water service contracts triggered a stock rout of more than $2 billion. The government is “not thinking about” replacing Manila Water Co and Maynilad Water Services Inc as water concessionaires even as it seeks to renegotiate terms of their contracts, Justice Secretary Menardo Guevarra told reporters. The ...

Bloomberg The brother of Asia’s richest man won a preliminary motion in a dispute with three Chinese banks seeking $680 million in defaulted loans, but still suffered a setback as a London judge called his evidence “implausible and highly unlikely” ahead of a full hearing next year. Judge David Waksman also said there is “a plain case” to issue an ...

Bloomberg Malaysia signed a deal with developers to restart the $34 billion Bandar Malaysia project which languished for years after being conceived under the oversight of troubled state fund 1MDB. A consortium comprising Iskandar Waterfront Holdings Sdn and China Railway Engineering Corp will acquire 60% stake in the venture for 6.45 billion ringgit ($1.6 billion). That’s based on Bandar Malaysia’s ...

Bloomberg Toyota Motor Corp is forecasting sales of 10.77 million vehicles worldwide during 2020, nudging it closer to No 1 automaker Volkswagen AG. Toyota’s outlook, which includes vehicles sold by subsidiaries Daihatsu Motor Co and truck maker Hino Motors Ltd, shows slight growth from an estimated 10.72 million vehicles this year. Volkswagen sold 10.8 million units in 2018 and said ...