Bloomberg President Joe Biden spoke with the leaders of Canada and Mexico, his first calls with foreign counterparts since his inauguration this week. In a nod to continental cooperation, Biden’s first conversation was with Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and then Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador. The White House, in a statement, said Biden underscored to Trudeau “the strategic ...
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Sunak’s tax choices to fix UK debt range from wealth to fuel
Bloomberg The UK is still in the grip of the coronavirus crisis, but political speculation is already rife on how the country will manage the ballooning debt it has run up to fight the pandemic. With the nation still fresh from almost a decade of austerity, there’s little appetite for spending cuts to shrink a deficit on course to reach ...
Read More »New-home sales in London slump as virus curbs deter investors
Bloomberg New-home sales in London are plummeting as lockdowns hurt demand and investors hold back from building apartments. Sales of newly built homes totaled 4,190 in the fourth quarter, down 27% from a year earlier, according to preliminary data compiled by researcher Molior London. The figures are based on transactions at developments with at least 20 units, which are predominantly ...
Read More »EU plants flag with social bonds in defining year of debt sales
Bloomberg The European Union (EU), set to become one of the largest issuers of green and sustainable bonds, will sell debt for the first time in 2021 off the back of record-breaking demand last year. The bloc will likely issue 14 billion euros ($17 billion) of seven-year and 30-year social bonds for a job support program in the coming week. ...
Read More »VW posts $12.2bn profit in show of pandemic resilience
Bloomberg Volkswagen AG said a robust sales recovery toward the end of the year helped cushion annual results from the effects of the pandemic. Operating profit before one-time items related to VW’s diesel-emissions scandal falls to about 10 billion euros ($12.2 billion) last year, VW said in a statement, from 19.3 billion euros in 2019. Automotive net cash flow shrunk ...
Read More »We support world’s drive to a low-carbon future: Al Mazrouei
ABU DHABI / WAM Suhail Al Mazrouei, Minister of Energy and Infrastructure, has said that the UAE seeks to reduce the carbon footprint through the implementation of the Energy Strategy 2050, which aims to reduce carbon dioxide in the country by 70 percent. “The world aspires to accelerate the energy transition towards a low-carbon future and seeks to reduce emissions,” ...
Read More »Sharjah, Brasilia explore collaboration in science, culture and sports
Sharjah / WAM Sheikh Fahim Al Qasimi, Chairman of the Department of Government Relations (DGR) in Sharjah, has explored potential ways of strengthening cooperation between Sharjah and Brasilia in vital sectors including culture, sports and science, with Fernando Luis Lemos Igreja, Brazilian Ambassador to the UAE. Both parties discussed the possibility of establishing Brazilian cultural centre in the emirate to ...
Read More »Shams, Omnes Media launch Influencers’ platform
Sharjah / WAM Shams Media Services, a subsidiary of Sharjah Media City (Shams), and OMNES Media, an integrated media and communications solutions company, launched OMNES Influencers’ platform in its trial stages. The platform aims to help companies connect with influencers who can help promote their products and achieve their desired results, all within a specific budget and timeline. These companies ...
Read More »Etihad Cargo sees 50% y-o-y rise in pharma shipments
Abu Dhabi / WAM Etihad Cargo, the cargo and logistics arm of Abu Dhabi-based Etihad Aviation Group, reported a 50 percent year-on-year rise in pharma shipments under its specialised PharmaLife product. The double-digit annual growth comes as the carrier marks its second anniversary of achieving and operating IATA CEIV certification for pharmaceutical and life science logistics (IATA CEIV Pharma), in ...
Read More »Biden sworn in to lead nation burdened with challenges
Bloomberg Joseph Robinette Biden Jr. was sworn in as the 46th president of the United States, taking control of a nation wracked by a deadly pandemic, persistent unemployment and burgeoning social unrest to cap the most acrimonious transfer of power in modern American history. Biden, 78, took the oath of office around noon from Chief Justice John Roberts on the ...
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