March, 2020

• 17 March

  Etihad Cargo boosts freighter schedule amid Covid-19 crisis

  

  ABU DHABI / WAM Etihad Cargo, the cargo and logistics arm of the Etihad Aviation Group, announced its freighter schedule for the IATA summer season, boosting capacity to its top freighter gateways. The network will also be expanded to capacity-constrained markets that are wrestling with decreased passenger operations or temporary travel bans in light of the public health emergency caused ...

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• 17 March

  Ministry of Education soft launches distant learning system today

  

  ABU DHABI / WAM The Ministry of Education announced it will conduct a pilot launch of its distance education platform on Wednesday to ensure that all students can utilise smart education technologies to carry out their studies. The system will be available for access from 16:30 to 17:30 as part of the ministry’s efforts to carry out the first, second ...

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• 17 March

  Khalifa Foundation receives AED1.2m donation from DIB

  ABU DHABI / WAM The Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan Foundation received a AED1.2 million donation from Dubai Islamic Bank (DIB), to support its efforts to provide laptops to school and university students. The financial support comes as part of efforts to implement remote learning initiatives as part of UAE measures to prevent the spread of coronavirus, Covid-19. Mohammed Haji ...

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• 17 March

  Emirates Post implements contactless deliveries amid Covid-19 developments

  

  DUBAI / WAM Emirates Post has started implementing ‘contactless deliveries’ as part of stringent measures to protect the wellbeing of its customers and staff amid coronavirus, Covid-19, concerns. To limit contact, delivery drivers will now place all items outside the intended recipient’s door, the official postal operator said, adding that from a safe distance, couriers will ask recipients to confirm ...

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• 17 March

  Gojek raises $1.2b for clash with Grab

  

  Bloomberg Southeast Asian ride-hailing giant Gojek has raised $1.2 billion for expansion, defying tech-sector turbulence and the coronavirus pandemic to secure funds to take on Grab Holdings Inc. The new financing was finalized just over the past week, when the Covid-19 outbreak quickened its spread and triggered market routs across the globe. That took the total raised in its current ...

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• 17 March

  Hong Kong loses ‘freest economy’ title to S’pore

  

  Bloomberg Hong Kong lost its title as the world’s freest economy to Singapore for the first time since 1995 in a global survey, as social unrest and uncertainties rattled its reputation as a global financial hub. Hong Kong’s overall economic freedom score fell primarily due to a decline in its marks for investment freedom, according to the 2020 Index of ...

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• 17 March

  India could become next global hotspot for coronavirus cases

  

  Bloomberg India could become the next global hotspot for virus cases, with experts warning containment measures that proved successful elsewhere in Asia may not work in the world’s second-most populous country. The South Asian nation, which has so far reported 125 infections and three deaths, is trying to contain the virus by closing its borders, testing incoming travellers and contact ...

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• 17 March

  HK shutdown a lesson in halting virus

  

  Bloomberg As the world struggles with the rapid spread of Covid-19, Hong Kong appears to be having success controlling it — in part because the memory of a similar virus in 2003 prompted a public outcry early on. Hong Kong’s government quickly implemented restrictive “social distancing” measures now being hotly debated around the world, in part because of pressure from ...

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• 17 March

  S’pore faces bigger contraction from Malaysia lockdown

  

  Bloomberg Malaysia’s lockdown is the latest threat to a Singapore economy already reeling from the coronavirus outbreak. The city state relies heavily on its neighbour’s workers and food, and Malaysia’s move to ban all visitors and prevent residents from traveling overseas for about two weeks will choke off a key labour channel. Maybank Kim Eng Research Pte estimates that about ...

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• 17 March

  Italy clears $28bn spending plan to fight coronavirus

  

  Bloomberg Italy’s government approved a 25 billion-euro ($28 billion) package to support its strained health system while helping businesses and families counter the economic impact of Europe’s worst coronavirus outbreak. The decree, approved at a cabinet meeting chaired by Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte, laid out new measures ranging from suspending tax payments to helping cover layoffs to mortgage relief, as ...

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