Message from the top: Anurag Agrawal, managing director, Canon Middle East and Turkey

As companies across the GCC tackle the challenges posed by the Covid-19 pandemic, regional business leaders reveal insights on what their organisations are doing and offer advice on how to deal with the current crisis

Oman Muscat

Oman schools to end academic year without exams; Muscat extends lockdown to May 29

The decision applies to private and public schools which will end the current academic year on May 7

Message from the top: Ethan Xue, president, OPPO MEA

As companies across the GCC tackle the challenges posed by the Covid-19 pandemic, regional business leaders reveal insights on what their organisations are doing and offer advice on how to deal with the current crisis

Abu Dhabi’s ADQ to buy Jordanian firm from founders, Carlyle

Last week, the company acquired 30 per cent of shares in National Petroleum Construction Co. it didn’t already own

Revealed: Indian repatriation flight schedule from the UAE

There will be 10 Air India flights organised from Dubai, Sharjah and Abu Dhabi to India from May 7-13

Volkswagen Middle East

Volkswagen Middle East launches new e-commerce platform in UAE, Saudi Arabia

A Live Chat facility will also allow customers to access an online personal chat with a dealership’s sales representative

India to begin repatriation of stranded citizens, including from UAE, this week

Citizens will be transported via aircraft and naval ships and will be quarantined for 14 days upon arrival at their destination in India

Renewables are the only winners in historic decline in energy demand

While all sources of energy — oil, coal, natural gas, and even nuclear — will see a decline, renewable energy is likely to be the bright spot

How coronavirus will forever change airlines and the way we fly

In a matter of months, the coronavirus reset the clock on a decades-long aviation boom that’s been one of the great cultural and economic phenomena of the postwar world

Abdul Aziz Al Ghurair launches Covid-19 fund for refugee education

The fund focuses on refugees living in overcrowded camps, informal tent settlements and congested host communities where access to online education is currently out of reach

Abu Dhabi’s Waha to invest bulk of $200m in US stocks

Waha Capital posted a loss of Dhs616m for 2019

Egypt asks IMF for financial aid amid coronavirus fight

Egypt has reported 4,319 cases of the coronavirus, including 307 deaths

Abu Dhabi’s main refinery makes China sales push after servicing

Prior to the pandemic, the plant had been mostly targeting Europe for sales of low-sulfur diesel and jet fuel

Fugitive Ghosn promises new revelations in upcoming book

Arrested in November 2018 in Tokyo on charges of financial misdeeds and then freed on bail, Ghosn made a dramatic escape to Lebanon in December

Warmest oceans on record add to hurricanes, wildfires risks

Worldwide, sea temperatures were 1.49 degrees Fahrenheit above average in March which is the second highest level recorded since 1880 for the month of March, according to US data

Hospitality group Hyatt launches fund to support financially strained staff

Initially, grants will be prioritised for colleagues who are neither working nor stand eligible for government assistance

Oil rebounds from record wipeout with prices edging above zero

Futures in New York traded at around $1 a barrel after sinking to as low as minus $40.32 during Monday’s collapse

Why should we embrace a new age of computing power in the Middle East

Computing and connectivity are advancing by leaps and bounds, and will soon pave the way to a digital world in which all things are connected

Oil drops to 21-year low with storage filling as demand shrivels

Futures in New York fell 16 per cent to around $15 a barrel after losing almost a fifth of their value last week

PepsiCo pledges $5m towards Covid-19 relief in MENA region

In the aftermath of the Covid-19 pandemic, PepsiCo and its foundation are focused on providing financial assistance, medical equipment and meals as well as supporting local health authorities’ efforts across the region

Bahrain to pay private sector salaries with $570m Covid-19 relief package

The government will pay the salaries from April to June of approximately 100,000 citizens employed in the private sector

SAUDI-CONFLICT-YEMEN-COALITION

Saudi-led Arab coalition announces two-week ceasefire in Yemen

The two-week period is subject to extension

Egypt bans Ramadan gatherings, public iftars – reports

The committee of scholars at Cairo’s al-Azhar university added that people should still fast as the ritual had no link to coronavirus

French hotel group Accor launches fund to assist employees

Accor confirmed that it currently has more than $2.7bn in cash on hand and an undrawn revolving credit facility of $1.3bn

Nerio Alessandri Technogym

Interview: Nerio Alessandri, founder and president of Technogym

The multi-billion dollar Italian company manufactures high-end fitness equipment which deliver nifty tech solutions to your everyday workout

LinkedIn to offer free recruiting tools in the UAE for people with ‘critical skills’

Companies can post mission-critical jobs for free on the platform from April 1 to June 30

TOPSHOT-SPAIN-HEALTH-VIRUS

Covid-19: The new business opportunities in the Middle East and beyond

While the Covid-19 outbreak has created pandemonium globally, some business segments from education and entertainment to telemedicine and telecommunications now have a bigger role to play than ever before

World oil output may fall by 10 million barrels a day, IHS says

Oil demand in the second quarter is expected to decline by 16.4 million barrels a day compared with the same period last year

Saudi destroys missile launched towards Riyadh, two injured

Saudi air forces also intercepted another missile launched towards the city of Jazan

Norbert Ruecker

Understanding the impact of the oil price war on the Middle East

A closer look at the ripple effects of plunging oil prices and a weak demand for the commodity, as well as predictions on how the industry will cope in the near- to long-term