Saudi Arabia Oxford-AstraZeneca

Saudi Arabia approves use of Oxford-AstraZeneca Covid-19 vaccine

Other GCC countries including the UAE, Kuwait and Bahrain have already approved the use of the Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine 

Covid-19 update: UAE reports 3,294 cases, highest daily spike in deaths

The nation-wide death toll has risen to 1,073

Dubai’s flydubai gears up for Boeing 737 MAX to rejoin fleet

The General Civil Aviation Authority approved the aircraft to return to service

Gulfood 2021: Here’s all you need to know

The 26th edition of the annual F&B event will host 2,500 companies from 85 countries

Saudi opens new Arar airport with the capacity to serve one million passengers annually

The project, built at a cost of SAR382m, has the capacity to handle more than 10,000 flights per year

Dubai Metro Public Transport

There were 346m users of public transport in Dubai in 2020

On average, approximately 947,000 riders used public transport every day in 2020

UAE aviation regulator clears Boeing 737 Max to fly again

Local airlines must first provide a plan for bringing the plane back safely

Abu DHabi real estate

Value of real estate transactions in Abu Dhabi totalled Dhs74bn in 2020, up 28% y-on-y

In 2020, there were 19,000 transactions executed, including sales and mortgages of land, buildings and real estate units for all types of land use

Public Prosecution

Fine of up to Dhs50,000 for not informing health authorities about Covid-19 in UAE

Those who lose any electronic tracking device handed to them, or destroy it, shall also be fined

Self-driving platform ekar launches car subscription service

Ekar Subscription allows users to book cars from one to nine months with no long-term commitment

Abu Dhabi Fund for Development

ADEX inks Dhs22m deal to finance UAE’s Jenaan sugar refinery project in Egypt

Jenaan to import raw materials from Borouge to manufacture and supply irrigation systems

Carrefour employs more Tally robots across its UAE stores

Eleven more Tally robots to be added for stock management and control

Etihad Gulf Air

UAE’s Etihad and Bahrain’s Gulf Air to expand codeshare agreement

By June 2021, Etihad and Gulf Air will be able to offer up to an additional 30 combined destinations beyond the Abu Dhabi and Bahrain hubs

Bahrain launches digital Covid-19 “vaccine passport”

BeAware app enables individuals to show their immunity status two weeks after receiving both doses

Emirates Esports Association to set up base at Yas Creative Hub in Abu Dhabi

Abu Dhabi continues to grow status as regional gaming and esports hub

Covid-19 update: UAE reports 3,452 cases, 3,570 recoveries and 14 deaths

The death toll stands at 1,055

Covid-19: Bahrain updates testing rules for incoming travellers

All inbound travellers will be subject to an additional PCR test on the fifth day of arrival

Air Arabia Abu Dhabi

UAE low cost carrier Air Arabia resumes flights to Egypt’s Luxor

Twice weekly flights from Sharjah, operated using an Airbus A320 aircraft, will resume from February 23

Wizz Air Abu Dhabi to commence flights to Egypt, fares start from Dhs49

A total of 2,500 tickets priced at Dhs49, are on sale from February 17-18, on the airline’s website and mobile app

Dubai International Boat Show Dubai Marina

Dubai International Boat show postponed to March 2022

It will now be held from March 8-12, 2022

Dubai Motorcycle Film Festival

Update: Inaugural Dubai Motorcycle Film Festival postponed

The festival, the first of its kind in the UAE, will screen movies exclusively designed to appeal to the motorcycling community

Kuwait health minister

Kuwait warns of tougher restrictions if Covid-19 precautionary measures are not followed

Health clubs, salons, barbershops, celebration halls and tents are already closed in the country

Abu Dhabi

Abu Dhabi closes 325 businesses for Covid-19 infections among employees

The closures were made as part of the Abu Dhabi Department of Economic Development’s inspection campaigns

UAE driving licence black points

Dubai’s RTA processes over two million drivers’ licencing transactions in 2020

Around 72 per cent of the transactions were processed via smart channels

UAE weather update: Fog envelops parts of the country; NCM issues alert

Temperatures will hover between 13-28°C in the coastal areas

UAE’s Ministry of Energy and Infrastructure

UAE Ministry of Energy and Infrastructure implements projects worth Dhs11.8bn

The ministry said that it is implementing 129 development projects as part of a five-year plan

Abu Dhabi Chamber inks cooperation agreement with Tel Aviv counterpart

Both sides will jointly work to extend cooperation in a number of investment sectors

Central Bank of the UAE

UAE banks return Dhs14.47bn received from Central Bank’s TESS initiative

A Dhs100bn Targeted Economic Support Scheme initiative was launched by the CBUAE in March 2020

Arabic version of Celebrity Game Face to broadcast on Abu Dhabi TV

In Media Plus is producer of the show under license from NBCUniversal

UAE students develop AI aircraft inspection algorithm for Lockheed Martin

Interns build a tool to detect paint and primer defects on aircraft at Masdar City