May, 2020

• 11 May

  UAE announces Eid Al Fitr holiday for public sector

  DUBAI / WAM The Federal Authority for Government Human Resources announced that the Eid al-Fitr holiday for federal entities in the UAE will begin on Friday, Ramadan 29 (corresponding to May 22) until Shawwal 3, 1441 H, which is yet to be declared. The authority offered greetings on the occasion to the people of the UAE and Arab and Islamic ...

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• 11 May

  India reopens economy but workers stay home

  

  Bloomberg When Bharat Gite reopened his aluminum parts factories in India’s western city of Pune, he spent days servicing idle machines, sanitising his premises and putting in place social distancing norms for staff. As India begins gradually easing stay-at-home restrictions across the country, Gite’s experience shows how reopening economy isn’t going to be a straightforward exercise. On top of the ...

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• 11 May

  Tourism remains at standstill as countries impose travel curbs

  

  MADRID / WAM Covid-19 has placed the whole world on lockdown, with new research from the United Nations World Tourism Organisation (UNWTO) showing that 100 percent of global destinations continue to have restrictions on travel in place, and 72 percent have completely closed their borders to international tourism. From the start of the crisis, the United Nations specialised agency for ...

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• 11 May

  DMT adds 13 new services to its Smarthub digital platform

  

  ABU DHABI / WAM Department of Municipalities and Transport (DMT) has announced the introduction of 13 new services to its SmartHub digital platform, as part of its ongoing efforts to boost Abu Dhabi’s position in the global smart cities’ rankings. The 13 services fall under the vision of the Emirate’s wise leadership and Abu Dhabi government’s strategy to upgrade work ...

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• 11 May

  Khidmah sees rise in demand for disinfection services across UAE

  

  Abu Dhabi / WAM Since March this year, facilities management and maintenance company (Khidmah) completed numerous disinfection and sanitisation missions across residential and commercial units in the UAE. The company said in a statement that there has been a significant increase in demand for the services as companies prepare to reopen again in the near future and want to ensure ...

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• 11 May

  City Centre Al Zahia set to open in March next year

  

  Dubai / WAM Majid Al Futtaim has announced a new opening date for its upcoming mall in Sharjah – City Centre Al Zahia. Now set to open in March 2021, the decision allows tenants sufficient time to prepare for their new store openings and ensure they can provide a compelling customer experience. In a statement by the company on Monday, ...

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• 11 May

  UAE Mission, Irena to co-host ‘renewables talks’

  

  ABU DHABI / WAM The International Renewable Energy Agency (Irena), and the UAE Mission will co-host the agency’s members for the first of its quarterly “Renewables Talks” on May 13, in a virtual webinar. Set to be hosted every three months throughout the year, the first Renewables Talks will assemble Irena’s Permanent Representatives and the broader diplomatic community to discuss ...

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• 11 May

  Ramadan media forum reviews post-coronavirus strategies

  

  ABU DHABI / WAM Dr Sultan bin Ahmad Sultan Al Jaber, Minister of State, Chairman of the National Media Council (NMC), has stated that the media sector in the UAE is resilient enough to respond to the fallout of the Covid-19 pandemic and turn challenges to opportunities to reshape and implement pace-setting strategies that can be relied upon in the ...

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• 11 May

  Oil inventories in China shrink after rising to record levels

  

  Bloomberg The great oil glut of 2020 may have already peaked in the world’s biggest crude importer. Crude inventories in China have shrunk in recent weeks after rising to record levels, according to analysts and satellite observations. Supplies have been drawn out of storage as refineries ramp up operations to meet rising demand from an economy emerging from lockdown. Inventories ...

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• 11 May

  Coal burned by China plants rises on heat, virus recovery

  

  Bloomberg An indicator of China’s coal demand surged almost one-third above last year as hotter-than-usual weather and factories rushing to make up for lost orders boosted power demand. Coal use by coastal power plants at five major utilities rose for an eighth straight day to 577,100 tons as of Monday, more than 30% higher than the same period last year ...

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