Bloomberg There’s 1,000 miles and a body of water between Mark McGowan and the Italian epicenter of Europe’s coronavirus outbreak. He may as well be next door. His 16-room hotel, the Scholars Townhouse in Drogheda, north of Dublin, has seen a 60% drop in room revenue. The business market “just melted away overnight,†he said. “We have three people at ...
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AT&T, Comcast relax net restrictions
Bloomberg AT&T Inc. and Comcast Corp. are loosening up restrictions on internet plans as they deal with a surge in Americans working from home and pressure from regulators. AT&T lifted some data caps on broadband services, while Comcast said it would make its Xfinity Wi-Fi hot spots free for everyone. Comcast, the biggest cable company, also said it was “pausing†...
Read More »Poland needs fiscal stimulus to aid virus-hit economy
Bloomberg Poland should provide fiscal stimulus to aid the virus-hit economy before the central bank considers cutting borrowing costs that are already at a record low, Monetary Policy Council member Grazyna Ancyparowicz said. “It’s high time for fiscal policy to play first fiddle,†Ancyparowicz said in an interview. “Our monetary policy has already been near its limit and absolutely nothing ...
Read More »Mahathir says opposition lacks votes to oust Malaysia leader
Bloomberg Malaysia’s former leader Mahathir Mohamad warned that the opposition coalition may lack the support needed to remove the current government, while criticising his long-time rival Anwar Ibrahim for the collapse of his administration. The Pakatan Harapan alliance, which was ousted from power last month, now had the backing of about 108 lawmakers, from 114 the morning before Prime Minister ...
Read More »Emirati engineers due to launch UAE Mars probe this summer
DUBAI / WAM After making history last year by sending the first Emirati Astronaut, Hazaa Al Mansoori to the International Space Station, the United Arab Emirates Space programme is now fixing its focus on Mars with the Hope Mars Mission. Omran Sharaf, Project Manager of Emirates Mars Mission and Sarah bint Yousif Al Amiri, Minister of State for Advanced Sciences, ...
Read More »Noura Al Kaabi heads Zayed University Council’s meeting
DUBAI / WAM The Zayed University Council held its first meeting in 2020, led by Noura bint Mohammed Al Kaabi, Minister of Culture and Knowledge Development, President of Zayed University, at the university campus in Dubai. At the meeting, Al Kaabi greeted all members and praised their sincere work to expand the progress across various academic, research, administrative, and societal ...
Read More »Aldar inks deal to invest AED2m in social impact bonds projects
ABU DHABI / WAM The Authority of Social Contribution, Ma’an, and Aldar signed a strategic agreement that will see both organisations address priority social challenges through social contracting. Aldar will invest AED2 million, a demonstration of their commitment to the programme. As part of the agreement, Aldar and Ma’an will work together to build a Social Impact Bond, with the ...
Read More »Dewa sees AED1.3bn in savings from energy efficiency programs
Dubai / WAM The conservation programmes and initiatives launched by the Dubai Electricity and Water Authority (Dewa) have achieved cumulative savings of 2.2 terrawatt hours (TWh), of electricity and 7.8 billion gallons of water between 2009 and 2019. The results are the equivalent of AED1.3 billion in savings and a reduction of 1.136 million tonnes of carbon emissions. Between 2009 ...
Read More »China set for unprecedented contraction in early-year data
Bloomberg Data on China’s industrial output, investment and retail sales due on Monday are forecast to show an across-the-board contraction for the first time on record, evidence of the extent to which the coronavirus has ravaged the economy. The data is released on a combined basis to account for the normal seasonal swings around the Lunar New Year holiday. The ...
Read More »Manila enters lockdown for month
Bloomberg Metro Manila, a region of 12 million people, entered a month-long lockdown on Sunday as Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte considers a plan to impose a curfew on the area to try and contain the coronavirus outbreak. Hours after Metropolitan Manila Development Authority General Manager Jose Arturo Garcia Jr. said that a 8 pm to 5 am curfew will be ...
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