ABU DHABI / WAM The United Arab Emirates on Wednesday sent an aid plane carrying 8 metric tons of medical supplies and Covid-19 testing kits to Namibia. This aid will assist approximately 8,000 medical professionals as they work to contain the virus. “The UAE continues to support development in African countries and meet their needs in furtherance of the UAE’s ...
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Abu Dhabi issues private school re-opening guidelines
Abu Dhabi / WAM The Abu Dhabi Department of Education and Knowledge (Adek) has issued holistic guidelines to reopen private schools with safety measures in place for the new academic year. Adek has worked extensively over the last few months with schools, parent representatives, teachers and the relevant authorities to make these policies as comprehensive as possible. The policies are ...
Read More »Big Oil loss puts BP dividend cut in play
Bloomberg For the first time since the West’s five energy supermajors were created in the early 2000s, all of them are set to post a quarterly loss. Once a money-making machine, Big Oil is now relying on ever-increasing amounts of debt, raising the pressure on highly prized dividends. BP Plc may cut its payout for the first time since the ...
Read More »Renewable power beats fossil fuels for first time in Europe
Bloomberg Renewable power for the first time contributed a bigger share in the European generation mix than fossil fuels as the fallout from the pandemic cut energy demand. About 40% of the electricity in the first half in the 27 EU countries came from renewable sources, compared with 34% from plants burning fossil fuels, according to environmental group Ember in ...
Read More »Democrats can settle for less Covid-19 aid now
Negotiations started — finally — on the next congressional pandemic-relief and economic-stimulus bill. Meanwhile, the Defense Authorization bill is under consideration in both the House of Representatives and the Senate. Which means that House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and congressional Democrats will have two big choices to make. In both cases, Democrats have to figure out their endgame in order to ...
Read More »Swiss bankers prove their mettle
As Sergio Ermotti prepares to stand down from the top job at UBS Group AG, he’s providing valedictory proof of the company’s wisdom in retreating from risky trading and lending businesses. The Swiss banking giant isn’t problem free. Pressure on its profit margins is persisting and an attempt to seek growth in Asia amid heightened geopolitical tension will keep his ...
Read More »Alibaba will depend on Ant Group bottom line
Ant Group’s imminent initial public offering promises to make a lot of people rich, including founder Jack Ma and existing shareholders of Alibaba Group Holding Ltd. Yet the real benefit to Alibaba is not in the value of its affiliate’s stock, which could fetch a valuation of $200 billion upon listing in Hong Kong and Shanghai, but in the ongoing ...
Read More »UK’s response to virus has been world-class
When the discussion turns to which countries have responded best to Covid-19 — and if nothing else, the pandemic frees up a lot of time for this debate — those most often mentioned are Taiwan, New Zealand and Vietnam. I would like to make a more surprising nomination: the UK Covid-19 is a potential scourge to billions around the globe, ...
Read More »Cathay Pacific delays Airbus deliveries to stem cash drain
Bloomberg Cathay Pacific Airways Ltd will delay deliveries of Airbus SE aircraft by as much as two years, in a move that could cut the carrier’s monthly cash losses in half as the coronavirus pandemic slams the aviation industry. Deliveries of A350-900s and A350-1000s have been deferred to 2020-2023 from 2020 and 2021, while A321neo deliveries have been pushed back ...
Read More »Lockheed’s new CEO Jim Taiclet rules out commercial aerospace
Bloomberg Lockheed Martin Corp’s new chief executive officer, Jim Taiclet, is prowling for deals amid the coronavirus pandemic and economic downturn. Just don’t expect the world largest military contractor to rummage for bargains in the distressed commercial aerospace industry, where Boeing Co and its suppliers are grappling with an unprecedented collapse in air travel. “Pure-play defense is going to be ...
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