ABU DHABI / WAM The UAE’s Federal National Council (FNC) is setting the standard in the parliamentary sector, embracing advanced videoconferencing technology to hold all of its sessions uninterrupted during the current crisis, said Dr Abdul Rahman bin Mohammad bin Nasser Al Owais, Minister of State for Federal National Council Affairs. Al Owais said – as the council held the ...

DUBAI / WAM Dubai’s economy remains resilient to global economic headwinds caused by the negative impact of the Covid-19 outbreak. The city’s external trade in the first quarter of 2020 reached AED323 billion. Exports grew 2 percent to AED43 billion compared to the corresponding quarter last year. Imports accounted for AED189 billion while re-exports touched AED92 billion. The volume of ...

ABU DHABI / WAM The UAE on Wednesday sent an aid plane containing medical supplies to Ethiopia to bolster the country’s efforts to curb the spread of Covid-19 and assist medical professionals as they work to combat the virus. Commenting on aid delivery, Mohamed Salem Ahmed Al Rashedi, UAE Ambassador to Ethiopia, stated: “It is our honor to deliver another ...

Bloomberg Oil’s rally resumed — after prices doubled over five days — amid optimism that output cuts are easing a huge supply glut and demand losses have bottomed. Futures in New York rose above $25 a barrel after earlier breaking above their 50-day moving average for the first time since January. Russian oil production was down 16% in the first ...

Bloomberg China’s leaders are considering the option of not setting a numerical target for economic growth this year given the uncertainty caused by the global coronavirus pandemic. What may instead be unveiled at upcoming National People’s Congress later this month is a description of goal for gross domestic product growth, one of the people said. Last year target was a ...

DUBAI / WAM Emirates SkyCargo, the freight division of Emirates Airline, ramped up its operations to offer 10 weekly cargo flights to facilitate the flow of goods into Bahrain, replenishing supplies and maintaining vital trade links during this critical time. Starting this month, the carrier noted in a statement, that its operations will see 10 weekly cargo flights on its ...

SHARJAH / WAM The Environment and Protected Areas Authority (EPAA) in Sharjah has issued several fines against individuals visiting desert and mountain areas within the emirate. According to the EPAA, as many as 1,225 violations were registered during the first quarter of 2020, as a result of individuals littering and throwing waste in wilderness areas. The authority also listed the ...

FUJAIRAH / WAM The volume of oil products held in storage at Fujairah jumped to the highest level on record earlier this week as tumbling regional demand from the coronavirus pandemic drives more supplies into the eastern UAE port. Stocks rose 6.3 percent last week to 26.192 million barrels, with the greatest build seen in middle distillates, including jet fuel, ...

ABU DHABI / WAM The Environment Agency – Abu Dhabi (EAD) acquired ISO 16133: 2018 certification, which is an internationally approved standard for managing soil quality monitoring programmes. It is the first organisation in the Middle East and Africa to acquire this certification. EAD obtained compliance to ISO 16133: 2018 standard from the British Standards Institution (BSI) in the Middle ...

Emirates Business In parallel with extensive precautionary measures taken by Abu Dhabi Waste Management Center (Tadweer) to prevent the spread of the novel coronavirus (Covid-19) in Abu Dhabi, Tadweer has adopted a well-coordinated plan to ensure the safety of all workers, whose health and wellbeing is a top priority for the Center. The Environment, Health and Safety Department at Tadweer ...