UAE Non-Oil Business Activity Surges to Nine-Month High in December

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 The United Arab Emirates' non-oil private sector recorded its fastest expansion in nine months in December 2024, buoyed by strong domestic demand and increased business activity, according to the latest S&P Global Purchasing Managers’ Index (PMI) report. PMI Highlights Robust Growth The seasonally adjusted UAE PMI climbed to 55.4 in December from 54.2 in November, signaling robust growth well above the 50.0 threshold that separates expansion from contraction. This marked the third consecutive monthly increase, underscoring sustained recovery in the non-oil sector. Key drivers of growth included a notable rise in new business activity. The new orders subindex rose sharply to 59.3 in December from 58.0 in the previous month, reflecting strong domestic demand. Challenges Amid the Growth While domestic demand flourished, export growth slowed, with the export orders subindex dropping to a seven-month low. Additionally, businesses faced mounting backlogs due to capacity constraints,...

Coronavirus: 61 positive cases on Japan cruise ship, death tall 636


Coronavirus positive cases recorded on Carnival Japan's Diamond Princess cruise ship in Yokohama Bay, quarantined off Japan, rise to 61.

In total, health authorities tested 273 people on board the ship. "The results of the remaining 171 tests - explained the Minister of Health, Katsunobu Kato - gave 41 other positivity. Today they will be transported to hospitals in different prefectures”. In total, out of 273 analyses, 61 are positive results.
The death toll from coronavirus has been updated to 636 by the Chinese National Health Commission. The 30.000 positive cases in China have also been overcome. Currently 31.161 people are infected. The province most affected remains that of Hubei, which has recorded 69 new victims in the last 24 hours. Of the infected, 4,800 are in serious condition.

According to South Korean newspaper “JoongAng Ilbo”, a woman was the first person in North Korea to result positive for the coronavirus, she accused the symptoms in Pyongyang after returning from a trip to China. The North Korean media have not confirmed any cases so far. The Government of North Korea strengthened the prevention measures extending the maximum alert, which also resulted in the closure of the border with China.

Standard & Poor's cuts the estimates of China's GDP to 5% for 2020, compared to the 5.7% previously hypothesized, due to the heavy consequences of the epidemic triggered by the Wuhan coronavirus. "Much of the impact of the coronavirus will be recorded in the first quarter and China's recovery will be strongest by the third quarter of the year," Shaun Roache, chief economist at S&P's Apac, wrote in a report. The rating agency also sees a rebound in 2021, up to 6.4%, against the previous forecast of 5.6%.

The World Health Organization (WHO) announced a world meeting to be held the next week. General manager Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus during the daily briefing said that the vaccine will take time.

The local media reported today that Chinese physician Li Wenliang died.He was the first to raise the alarm about the spread of the coronavirus, but had not been heard. The doctor-hero died of coronavirus infection.

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