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’s astronaut Sultan Al Neyadi to speak with the public on 21 March

 

UAE

Sultan Al Neyadi, one of the first two astronauts from theUnited Arab Emirates (UAE), is set to speak with the UAE public during a series of live calls from the International Space Station (ISS), the biggest modular space station in low Earth orbit.

The Emirati astronaut will take questions from the UAE public from various venues across all seven emirates. According to the emirate's media office, the first call will take place at the Dubai Opera on 21 March, Tuesday. Doors will open at 2 pm at the Dubai Opera, the performing arts centre in Dubai. The call will start at 2.30 pm.

The emirate's media office said on Friday, “Seats are limited and interested individuals can book their place through the link: A Call With Space.”

The call will take place in the Arabic language. The headphones will be provided for an English translation. The series of live calls will give the UAE public the chance to connect with Dr Al Neyadi. People can book their seats by paying Dh25 for adults and Dh15 for those under 17. However, children under the age of 2 will not be allowed to participate in the event.

Salem Al Marri, director general of the Mohammed bin RashidSpace Centre, said that the live calls and Al Sultan’s journey into space will inspire the next generation of space enthusiasts.

Al Neyadi is the second Emirati astronaut to travel into space. He is also the first Arab astronaut to spend six months on the prestigious ISS. During his journey into space, he is set to participate in over 200 experiments assigned by Nasa and 19 involving UAE universities.

Al Neyadi underwent training in Russia, Houston, Texas, and Germany under Nasa’s basic training programme. He has participated in multiple spaceflight training programmes.

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