Covid-19: UAE reports 2,404 infections; 80,683 vaccines administered in last 24 hours

The case count in the country has now risen to 232,982

Bahrain

Bahrain achieves nationwide 5G coverage

Bahrain ICT sector accounts for nearly 3% of national GDP

smart city

Powering smart cities in the GCC

Abu Dhabi has teamed up with tech firms to power its smart ambitions

Dubai’s Emirates to resume operations to Seattle, Dallas and San Francisco

The airline currently serves 114 destinations on six continents

Dubai UAE

Covid-19: Dubai placed on Scotland’s mandatory quarantine list

The Scottish government said that a number of positive cases were identified in passengers who have flown into Glasgow from Dubai since the new year

UAE scores high in addressing skills mismatch: BCG

BCG’s Future Skills Architect tool says UAE has a 15.1 point lead above global average

The Toy Store

Dubai-headquartered The Toy Store owner ceases operations

Gulf Greetings General Trading was also the operator of Hallmark stores in the UAE

King Fahd Causeway re-opening to add ‘billions’ to Bahrain economy

Saudi citizens will be permitted to travel via air, land and sea from March 31 2021

Dubai South

An additional 650 companies set up operations within Dubai South in 2020

An additional floor is being constructed in its Business Park to accommodate the growing number of clients

Power Letters 2021: Fleur Hassan-Nahoum, deputy mayor of Jerusalem and co-founder, UAE-Israel Business Council

In 2020, the UAE and Israel signed the Abraham Accords to establish full diplomatic ties between the countries

In pics: Abu Dhabi’s Al Qana project, featuring region’s largest aquarium, now 90% complete

Spread across 2.4km, the waterfront destination is expected to open this year

Abu Dhabi Ports

Abu Dhabi Ports freezes rent escalation for remainder of 2021

The decision is expected to impact over 1,400 companies within KIZAD and ZonesCorp

Abu Dhabi raises February Murban crude pricing after Saudi boost

Abu Dhabi pumps almost all of the oil in the UAE

Video: Saudi Crown Prince announces car-free, zero-carbon city, ‘The Line’

Located within NEOM, the city is expected to house one million residents and create 380,000 jobs by 2030

Dubai

Dubai Economy receives 59,130 consumer complaints in 2020

The complaints marked a 51 per cent increase compared to 39,113 received in 2019

UAE: Students may return to their campus at 50 per cent of its capacity

The Ministry of Education will review the situation on a weekly basis

Burj Khalifa: New shows set to light up Downtown Dubai

Each of the five-minute shows will highlight a different theme – Dreams, Geometrics, Kaleidoscope, Retro Futuristic and Chinese New Year

Bahrain

Bahrain: Expats can apply for self-sponsorship of residency permits online

The online service covers foreign retirees, investors and property owner in Bahrain

Covid-19: UAE reports 2,876 cases, 2,454 recoveries and 6 deaths

The death toll in the UAE has risen to 708

Emirates Dubai Hong Kong

Dubai’s Emirates pauses flights to Hong Kong for two weeks

Customers holding tickets on flight EK384 with their final destination as Hong Kong will not be permitted to board from January 9-22, 2021

Power Letters 2021: Ethan Xue, President, OPPO MEA

The Covid-19 pandemic forced a revitalisation of OPPO’s capabilities

New low-cost carrier Wizz Air Abu Dhabi offers Dhs1 fares as it prepares to begin operations

The ultra low fare will be for 2,021 tickets for select flights between Abu Dhabi and the Greek cities of Athens and Thessaloniki

Binance

Digital transformation: What are the key challenges that regional banks continue to face?

Digitisation is underway and accelerating in the Middle East – but what are the key technologies being deployed?

Dubai airport

Dubai airports receive 17.9 million passengers in 2020 – GDRFA

Dubai witnessed an increase in passenger numbers since the emirate reopened to international tourists in July

3D

Dubai’s Sheikh Mohammed launches children’s book based on his early life experiences

The stories are written for children aged between 6 and 9, and are designed to be compatible for use in the local education system

Mubadala

Abu Dhabi’s $232bn Mubadala wants to take crack at Top 10

The fund is reshaping its structure to focus on four business platforms: UAE investments, disruptive investments, direct investments and real estate and infrastructure

Covid-19 vaccine

Covid-19: UAE vaccinations cross 1 million; DHA opens another Pfizer-BioNTech inoculation centre in Dubai

The total number of jabs administered across the country has risen to 1,020,349, an average of 10.32 doses per 100 people

Saudi to resume flights to Qatar after restoration of ties

Saudi Arabia will be ready to resume all international flight operations on March 31

Outlook 2021: UAE’s economic recovery in 2021

The economic consequences of the Covid-19 pandemic have been severe for all countries around the world

How business leaders can best manage a dispersed workforce

It is vital for business leaders to model the kind of behaviour that they want to see in their staff