December, 2020

• 9 December

  SEC approves draft contract for sale in online auction

  SHARJAH / WAM HH Sheikh Sultan bin Mohammed bin Sultan Al Qasimi, Sharjah Crown Prince, Deputy Ruler, and Chairman of the Sharjah Executive Council (SEC) on Tuesday, chaired a meeting of the Council at the Sharjah Ruler’s office, in the presence of HH Sheikh Abdullah bin Salem bin Sultan Al Qasimi, Deputy Ruler of Sharjah and Deputy Chairman of the ...

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• 9 December

  Abu Dhabi DoE, Dell sign pact on IT, security

  

  ABU DHABI / WAM The Abu Dhabi Department of Energy (DoE) has signed an agreement with American multinational computer technology company Dell to enhance cooperation on information technology and information security at the DoE, supporting the department’s efforts to drive development across the entire energy sector in the emirate. Signed during the Gitex Technology Week 2020, which concludes on December ...

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• 9 December

  Dubal Holding acquires 60% stake in OSE

  

  DUBAI / WAM Dubal Holding (DH), a wholly owned subsidiary of Investment Corporation of Dubai (ICD), announced the acquisition of 60 percent stake in OSE Industries, a specialised aluminium extrusion company in the UAE. The acquisition was signed on November 30 between Ahmad Bin Fahad, Acting CEO of DH and Othman Sharif, the President and Chairman of OSE. Bin Fahad ...

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• 9 December

  Etihad Air launches aircraft carbon offset programme

  

  ABU DHABI / WAM Etihad Airways, the national airline of the UAE, has committed to purchasing carbon offsets, to completely neutralise the CO2 emissions of its flagship “Greenliner” 787-10 aircraft for a full year of operations in 2021. The initiative is the start of the airline’s journey to reduce CO2 emissions to 50 percent of 2019 levels by 2035, and ...

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• 9 December

  Asia’s climate goals to drive up green bond sales

  

  Bloomberg Green bond sales in Asia have lagged the rest of the world in 2020 but that may change next year as some of the biggest economies accelerate their drive to cut carbon emissions, according to Fitch Ratings. Issuance of notes in Asia whose proceeds are aimed at environmentally friendly projects has dropped about 30% this year, even as green ...

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• 9 December

  Chevron CEO vows ‘higher returns, lower carbon’

  

  Bloomberg Fresh from overtaking Exxon Mobil Corp as North America’s biggest oil company, Chevron Corp has a “simple promise” to investors: higher returns and lower carbon. Delivering on that promise is critical: an activist investor announced a campaign targeting Exxon for failing on both counts. “We’ve been able to remain very steady as others have had to change strategy, change ...

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• 9 December

  Biden has the right to name his own cabinet

  

  Republican senators are threatening to refuse to confirm President-elect Joe Biden’s choices for his cabinet. They appear to be especially unhappy about the selection of Neera Tanden to head the Office of Management and Budget, in part because she posted a number of tweets that were sharply critical of them. But they might choose to make the confirmation process a ...

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• 9 December

  India’s farmers have reason to worry

  

  The third rail of Indian politics has always been agriculture. While the economy has been partly liberalised since opening up to the world in 1991, the process has largely bypassed the three-fifths of Indians who depend for their livelihoods, directly or indirectly, on farming. In September, the government finally introduced a much-needed set of changes to how agriculture is organised ...

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• 9 December

  The Aussie is booming amid China trade spat

  Judging by the sounds emerging from embassies and trade ministries, you’d think one of China’s most important economic relationships was on the rocks. But currency markets are predicting it’s on the verge of another boom. The Australian dollar hit its highest level in more than two years, capping a 29% rally from its nadir in late March. The moves come ...

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• 9 December

  Women take the lead in vaccine development

  It is easy enough to imagine a less sadistic system. But reimagining enforcement altogether — its ends and means — is a more complicated undertaking. The early history of vaccines is a male-dominated field. The science, which is currently showing spectacular results, is now led by women. Therein lies a lesson about the allocation of talent. Consider the history of ...

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