BEIJING / WAM China’s auto production and sales surpassed 30 million units for the first time in 2023, retaining the country’s leadership as the world’s largest car market for the 15th consecutive year, People’s Daily reported. According to recent data released by the China Association of Automobile Manufacturers (CAAM), automobile sales in China reached a total of 30.094 million units, ...

BLOOMBERG A federal judge blocked JetBlue Airways Corp’s $3.8 billion acquisition of Spirit Airlines Inc, saying the combination would stifle competition and raise fares for consumers. US District Judge William G Young sided with the federal government and said the merger would harm cost-conscious travellers by eliminating the nation’s dominant deep-fare discount airline and drive up prices across the industry. ...

ABU DHABI / WAM The Department of Culture and Tourism – Abu Dhabi (DCT Abu Dhabi) will organise the Al Hosn Festival from January 19-28 in the Al Hosn area. The festival in the Al Hosn area offers visitors a journey through time to explore Abu Dhabi’s heritage and glimpse life in the past decades. The heritage area offers the ...

DAVOS / WAM The UAE has announced plans to develop the first-ever sustainability accreditation framework explicitly for micro, small and medium-sized enterprises (MSMEs). EcoMark Global Accreditation has been designed to boost the competitiveness of MSMEs in the global green economy by streamlining and standardising the regulatory processes surrounding sustainability benchmarking worldwide. The EcoMark certification, which is based on ISO standards ...

ABU DHABI / WAM Abu Dhabi University (ADU) and United Al-Saqer Group (UASG) LLC signed a cooperation and funding agreement to establish a state-of-the-art scientific research centre, which will prepare specialised researchers in several development sectors, in line with the UAE’s agenda for the next 50 years. The agreement was signed by Sheikh Abdulla Al Hamed, a member of the ...

ABU DHABI / WAM Emirates Steel Arkan (ESA) has signed a five-year iron-ore pellets (IOP) supply contract with Bahrain Steel Company (BSC). The contract, valued at approximately $2 billion, was formalised at the Industrial Partnership for Sustainable Economic Growth initiative, held recently in Bahrain. Rooted in a 16x growth since 2009, ESA’s partnership with BSC extends with this new contract, ...

ABU DHABI / WAM Edge, one of the world’s leading advanced technology and defence groups, and Baykar, an international leader in unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) and artificial intelligence technology, are currently collaborating to integrate Edge smart weapons onto Bayraktar UAVs. The integration programme is part of a Strategic Alliance Agreement between the two groups to collaborate on advanced technology solutions ...

ABU DHABI / WAM Strata Manufacturing PJSC (Strata), wholly owned by the Mubadala Investment Company, reported an over 40 percent increase in shipments to the global aerospace and advanced industry sectors in 2023 compared to 2022. According to its data, Strata dispatched 773 shipments, comprising 7,880 components, to major aerospace companies such as Boeing, Airbus, Leonardo, and Pilatus. Since its ...

ABU DHABI / WAM UAE President His Highness Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan has sent a message of congratulations to King Frederik X of Denmark on his accession to the throne. His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, and His Highness Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed Al ...

ABU DHABI / WAM HH Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Minister of Foreign Affairs, congratulated Abdullah Ali Al-Yahya on his appointment as Minister of Foreign Affairs of the State of Kuwait. During a phone conversation, HH Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed wished Al-Yahya success in his new mission, and expressed his eagerness to collaborate with the new Kuwaiti foreign minister ...