Abu Dhabi / WAM The Department of Culture and Tourism – Abu Dhabi (DCT Abu Dhabi) hosted its first ever virtual roadshow in China, connecting more than 100 Chinese tour operators and travel agencies with 37 of its partners and stakeholders, including Destination Management Companies (DMCs) from across the emirate, representatives from Etihad Airways, Yas island, and emirate’s hotels and ...
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UAEU research team extracts date seed oil to make biofuels
AL AIN / WAM A research team from the United Arab Emirates University (UAEU) was able to accomplish a qualitative research project to extract the largest possible quantity of date seeds’ oils for the biofuel industry. The project was completed within two years at a cost of one million dirhams, and it is published in top ranked journals. Commenting on ...
Read More »Macron, Merkel get the least bad Brexit option
The defining image of Britain’s Christmas Eve trade deal with the European Union was a beaming Boris Johnson with his thumbs up in the air. There were no celebratory pictures from any of his continental counterparts. Getting to this point is a win in itself for the UK. An end to Brexit’s drama should let the Brits reenter a more ...
Read More »How can tech giants top 2020?
For four of the biggest US technology companies — Amazon.com Inc, Apple Inc, Facebook Inc and Google parent Alphabet Inc. — 2020 was one for the books. During a year when the global pandemic put many companies out of business, these market leaders thrived, raking in profits that sent their stock prices soaring and left them more powerful and valuable ...
Read More »China wants to clip the wings of Alibaba empire
Should Chinese regulators determine Jack Ma’s Alibaba Group Holding Ltd to be a monopoly, they ought to look directly to Beijing for an explanation as to how it happened. China announced an investigation into alleged monopolistic practices at the Hangzhou-based e-commerce giant. Ant Group Co is also in the crosshairs, as the central bank and the banking watchdog will separately ...
Read More »Does the US economy run on immigration?
The US economy runs on immigration. Immigrants support crucial industries, pay huge amounts in taxes, take care of children and the elderly, sustain American innovation and — perhaps most importantly — make the country a more attractive destination for multinational investment. Over the past few years, President Donald Trump, the Covid-19 pandemic and the end of the big Mexican migration ...
Read More »Fast-food boom drives rebound in meat sales for US packers
Bloomberg American meatpackers are benefiting from one bright spot in the restaurant industry during the pandemic: fast-food sales. With most restaurants closed or operating at reduced capacity, customers have flocked to places including McDonald’s and Burger King, where they can simply drive through to grab food. That’s helped Cargill Inc.’s protein sales to food-services business to return to near normal, ...
Read More »Philippines extends ban on UK flights
Bloomberg Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte extended the ban on UK flights by two weeks and said he’s open to reinstating tighter movement curbs if coronavirus infections spike. Returning to some form of a lockdown “is a possibility if the severity in numbers will demand that we take corrective measures immediately,†the president said at a meeting of the task force ...
Read More »Return of UK air travel slowed by demand for Covid-19 test
Bloomberg Air travel from Britain to France resumed, though eligibility restrictions and a new Covid-19 testing requirement limited the number of people able to board. A British Airways flight to Paris departed at 9:24 am from London Heathrow, followed by one to Nice, according to the airport’s website. Both were delayed, and an earlier Air France departure was canceled, reflecting ...
Read More »Online shoppers drive US holiday retail sales to 3%
Bloomberg US holiday season sales beat low expectations for the pandemic year as online shopping surged. Total retail sales grew 3% over the extended 75-day holiday period, versus a forecast of 2.4%, according to Mastercard SpendingPulse, which tracks online and in-store retail sales across all payment methods. The number is far better than the 3.5% drop recorded during 2008, the ...
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