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,...

UAE astronaut will one day set foot on the Moon

 


Dr Al Neyadi, who is set to embark on the Arab world’s first long-duration space mission on February 26, said the country’s space programme would follow “wherever humanity is going”.

Nasa has introduced Artemis, an ambitious project that aims to build a sustainable presence of astronauts in lunar orbit and on the Moon's surface.

It is crucial for the space agency to find capable international partners to help meet the budgetary and timetable demands involved in building the Lunar Gateway — an orbiting station to house astronauts.

“The UAE, I think, is going wherever the humanity overall is going,” Dr Al Neyadi, who will participate in a six-month mission to the International Space Station next month, told The National in an interview on Thursday. 

“We also saw the successful Artemis 1 launch, it was a great proof of concept,” said Dr Al Neyadi.

“Soon we'll have some people on board the Orion capsule and, definitely, the UAE will try to be a part of that.

“We all know that the UAE has signed the Artemis Accords and it's a matter of an opportunity.”

The Accords is a Nasa-led international agreement that outlines peaceful exploration of the Moon and signatories include Saudi Arabia, Bahrain and Israel.

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