Everything you need to know about the four-week break for schools, universities in Dubai

All nurseries, schools and universities across the country will be closed for four weeks starting March 8

Saudi Arabia plans $6bn surge in mortgage refinancing

The value of outstanding mortgages has jumped to 482bn riyals – a 66 per cent increase since 2017 – with an official target of 500bn by end-2020

NMC Health cut from FTSE 100 index after Muddy Waters criticism

NMC shares slumped 64 per cent in a little more than two months after Muddy Waters’ report

UAE President Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed establishes Abu Dhabi Arabic language centre

The Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed appointed Dr Ali bin Tameem as chairman of the new centre

Indian school student in Dubai tests positive for coronavirus

The authority is testing and monitoring students, staff and workers of the school who may have interacted with the coronavirus patient

Saudi temporarily suspends Umrah for citizens, residents over coronavirus outbreak

The kingdom reported its first case of the coronavirus earlier this week

e-learning study from home

UAE schools begin rolling out learn-from-home programmes

Schools began to test remote learning systems even before the announcement of the revised spring break dates was made

Dubai bank Emirates NBD to reduce tariffs following UAE central bank initiative

Late last month, the UAE central bank urged banks to reschedule loans and reduce fees

Travellers from India, Egypt among others, need health clearance to enter Kuwait

The examination certificate must be issued by medical centers approved by Kuwaiti embassies in those countries

Flydubai returns to profit in 2019, but says Max grounding ‘significantly impacted’ growth

The airline reported a 2.6 per cent drop in revenues, while passenger numbers fell by 12.7 per cent

Update: Abu Dhabi’s Etihad asks cabin crew to take paid leave

A spokesperson for the airline added that changes in demand for travel brought about by Covid-19 coronavirus has resulted in this decision

nursery uae

Coronavirus: Nurseries in UAE to also remain closed for four weeks

Early on Wednesday morning, the ministry said that all schools and universities across the country would remain closed for four weeks beginning from Sunday

UAE’s GDP set to increase 2.5 per cent to Dhs1.5 trillion in 2020

The country’s minister of state also added that it was too early to assess the full impact of VAT on the national economy

Abu Dhabi’s healthcare regulator suspends international patient care services

The Department of Health is liaising with authorities to ensure that IPC patients have access to timely healthcare services

UAE officially starts operations at Barakah nuclear power plant

The load of the 241 fuel assemblies into the Unit 1 reactor was completed this week

Saudi Arabia’s wealth fund parts ways with three executives

Chief strategy officer Dennis Johnson and head of risk, Martin Botha, have exited the company

Different Arab money

UAE, Saudi and Bahrain lower interest rates in line with Fed move over virus outbreak

Central banks in the GCC matched the Fed’s half-percentage point cut

Coronavirus: Ai Everything and Careers UAE postponed

Ai Everything has been postponed indefinitely, while Careers UAE will take place in October this year

NMC founder Shetty weighs sale of pharma business

Abu Dhabi-based pharmaceuticals business, Neopharma, could be valued at between $700m and $1bn

UAE Sharia council issues fatwa on coronavirus

Senior citizens, minors and those suffering from respiratory diseases are allowed not to attend congregational prayers

Schools, colleges in the UAE to close for four weeks from March 8

A distance learning initiative was also announced

UAE confirms six new coronavirus cases; total tallies 27

The infected individuals include two Russians, two Italians, one German and one Colombian

UAE to name its next two astronauts by January 2021

More than 3,000 applicants have applied so far, 33 per cent of whom were women

carrefour mobimart

Carrefour launches mobile grocery bus in Dubai

Customers can check daily route schedules and timings of the Mobimart bus on Carrefour’s website

Art Dubai postponed due to coronavirus

A new format of the event will be held on the same dates tailored to local audiences

Sheikh Mohammed launches multilingual “mystery shopper” app

The app is accessible to residents and visitors to the emirate and will help measure government services

Coronavirus impact: Emirates makes operational changes, steps up aircraft cleaning

The airline, which has been forced to cancel some flights, confirmed that it was offering staff the option of taking unpaid leave

UAE businessman MA Yusuff Ali receives Saudi premium residency

He becomes the first Indian to receive the kingdom’s coveted residency permit

dubai police

Dubai Police seize $330m worth of counterfeit watches

It led to the arrest of two Asian suspects who ran the illegal business in Dubai’s Naif area

Abu Dhabi-based banks report Dhs40.3bn net income in 2019

Last year Abu Dhabi Commercial Bank officially merged with Union National Bank and the combined entity acquired Al Hilal Bank