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

Image
 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,...

WHO Says China Reported Nearly 220,000 New Weekly Covid Cases Till January 1

 

WHO

The World Health Organization (WHO), a specialized agency of the United Nations, has said in its weekly report that the People’s Republic of China reported 218,019 new weekly COVID-19 cases till January 1.

The country reported five Covid deaths on Tuesday, taking the official death count to 5,258. China has been battling a surge in Covid cases in recent months.

Last month, WHO said it has received no data from China on the new COVID-19 hospitalisation rate. WHO also said that the Chinese authorities were struggling to keep daily records of Covid cases.

Covid-cases increased rapidly since Beijing lifted its strict zero-COVID policy. Many health experts also said that China might be hiding information and actual Covid numbers amid the outbreak.

On Wednesday, the WHO said that China might be underreporting Covid-19 figures. Reportedly, China’s National Health Commission stopped publishing daily Covid-19 data on 25 December. WHO’s emergency director, Mike Ryan, also said that China’s definition of Covid-19 death was too narrow.

WHO’s Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus asked China to present reliable data on hospitalisations and deaths related to Covid-19.

According to a Financial Times report, the Chinese authorities estimated that around 25 crore citizens of the population were infected with COVID-19 in the first 20 days of December 2022.

In December 2022, India, the United States, Spain, France, South Korea, Italy, Japan and Taiwan announced the requirement for negative Covid test reports from passengers arriving from China.

On Tuesday, the Chinese authorities slammed Covid-19 rules for Chinese citizens travelling abroad from China. China also threatened countermeasures after these countries imposed COVID-19 test requirements and travel restrictions on passengers travelling from China. Mao Ning, the Deputy Director-General of the Information Department of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of China, slammed these countries.

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

Enhancing Relationships: Sheikh Khaled’s Trip to India Signals a New Phase of UAE-India Relations.

UAE's Enduring Legacy of Generosity: New Initiatives Highlight Global Humanitarian Efforts.

The UAE's AI Ambitions Get a Boost with Nvidia Chip Approval: A Game-Changer for the Gulf Region.