The war in Ukraine has undercut the global recovery, slowing expected economic growth in most countries in the world, IMF Managing Director Kristalina Georgieva said Thursday. Families already were struggling with higher energy and food prices and "the war has made this much worse."

It has said a shot for multiple variants is coming by 2022-end.

Russian oil supply, meanwhile, is expected to continue to fall in April by 1.5 million barrels per day amid its invasion of Ukraine, according to the IEA, which advises developed countries on their energy policies.

The UN chief said countries need to fulfil and accelerate dose-sharing and donation commitments in order to reach the billions who have so far not received vaccine shots.

Incumbent brands need small-brand deals to recapture top-line growth and boost total shareholder return. While challenging to get right, these acquisitions can deliver substantial value. Success requires a clear understanding of what makes insurgent assets unique, he adds.

Taaleem, the Dubai school operator, is in initial stage of talks with banks for an initial public offering in Dubai.

Beijing has refused to budge from its strict zero-Covid strategy, and that has forced many companies to halt production and slow new projects, while those still operating are struggling with a shortage of truck drivers on top of onerous permit and Covid testing requirements.

Two new studies have highlighted the importance of getting jabbed for those who have natural immunity after recovering from the disease.

The International Air Transport Association (IATA) on Friday said its annual general meeting in June would be held in Qatar instead of Covid-hit China. China is experiencing its worst coronavirus outbreak since the start of the pandemic more than two years ago, with Shanghai posting record-high case counts. "It is deeply...

An estimated three quarters of a million ultra-Orthodox Jews attended the funeral Sunday of influential rabbi Chaim Kanievsky, known to followers as the "Prince of Torah", with Israeli authorities warning of dangers from massive overcrowding.

After several weeks of declines, reported cases of COVID-19 are once again increasing globally, especially in parts of Asia, WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Gebreyesus told journalists in Geneva. In the past week, the agency has seen an 8 per cent increase in detection of COVID-19 cases, with more than 11...

The UAE advanced to 15th place globally in the overall Global Soft Power Index ranking, up from last year's 17th in 2021. The index interviewed more than 100,000 people from 101 countries worldwide to assess the various axes of soft power and its positive influence.

The US Federal Reserve chair has said every $10 hike in oil prices would impact growth by 0.1 percentage points and add 0.2 percentage points to inflation.

In 2021, the Sharjah Airport served more than 7 million passengers with more than 57,000 aircraft movements and approximately 1.2 million passengers in December, consistent with the pre-pandemic levels. The Sharjah Airport Authority said it intensified efforts to strengthen its ambitious goals at various levels, launching numerous services and operations,...

The pandemic’s most tragic toll has been on the health and lives of millions, with more than 446 million cases worldwide, more than six million deaths confirmed, and countless more grappling with worsening mental health, said UN chief Antonio Guterres.

Iraq's National Museum reopened Monday to visitors after a three-year closure due to the Covid-19 pandemic and political unrest.

Scientists warn that potential new variants and unequal vaccination rates threaten any long-awaited return to normality.

A large number of kits of the PCR test has been manufactured and used across the world in general and the GCC in particular.

London's Heathrow airport announced Wednesday it narrowed annual losses only slightly in 2021 despite the reopening of global air travel, blaming what it said were stricter passenger curbs in Britain compared to the neighboring EU. Heathrow recorded pre-tax losses totaling £1.8 billion ($2.4 billion) last year, it said in a...

Egyptian President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi has praised the World Health Organization for its decision to pick Egypt and five other countries in Africa to manufacture Covid vaccine in the continent to fight off the virus.

A year after it posted sharp growth, global trade in goods and services is expected to slow down, according to the UN's estimate.

Global supplies of diesel are dwindling as refiners struggle to keep pace with rapid post-pandemic demand recovery, exacerbating an acute global energy shortage that has already sent the prices of gas, coal and crude oil soaring. At a time when global central banks are fretting over inflation rates not seen...

The Covid lockdown this week of a relatively unknown Chinese city sent global prices of aluminum rocketing to a 14-year high. Why did the outbreak in Baise spark fears around the world about the key metal?

Morocco reopened its airspace on Monday in a bid to breathe life into its crisis-hit tourism sector, two months after it cancelled commercial flights over coronavirus fears. The North African kingdom's latest move was welcomed by tourism businesses who have suffered two lost years due to the pandemic, as well...

China's President Xi Jinping declared the Beijing Winter Olympics open Friday as China tried to turn the page on a build-up overshadowed by human rights concerns, Covid and a US-led diplomatic boycott. Fireworks exploded over the "Bird's Nest", making Beijing the first city to host both a Summer and Winter...

The United Arab Emirates has lifted curbs on travel to twelve African countries for citizens fully vaccinated and who have received a booster dose of the approved COVID-19 vaccines.

French pharmaceutical group's overall sales rises 4.8% to $43.3bn in 2021.

Bahrain has made a second Covid-19 booster shot available by choice for adults aged 60 years and above and frontline medical professionals. The National Medical Taskforce for Combatting the Coronavirus said the eligible individuals may receive any vaccine as a second booster shot, three months after receiving the first booster...

IEA said the demand for natural gas is expected to fall sharply in Europe and slow in Asia. Gas demand rebounded last year as the world economy recovered from the Covid pandemic and restrictions were eased, while an unusually cold winter also drove up consumption.

Pfizer and BioNTech have begun enrollment for a clinical trial to test the safety and immune response of their Omicron-specific Covid-19 vaccine in adults aged up to 55.

The countries need to work harder to ensure equitable access to vaccines and treatment, track the virus and its emerging variants, and keep restrictions in place, Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus told the UN health agency's executive board.

Economic growth in the eurozone slowed sharply in January, a key survey showed Monday, as new coronavirus restrictions hit consumer spending, raising a new obstacle for the region's recovery.

The WHO's Covid-19 treatment recommendations are updated regularly based on new data from clinical trials.

Hope remains for a better new year amidst scaled-back celebrations due to new restrictions aimed at slowing soaring Covid cases.

Saudi Arabia on Thursday reimposed social distancing measures at the Grand Mosque in Makkah, after recording the highest number of infections in months. Workers have returned floor markings removed on October 17 to guide people to social distance in and around the Grand Mosque -- which is built around the...

Aviation giant Emirates said Thursday it expects business to grow next year despite the surge in global coronavirus cases fueled by the Omicron variant. The Dubai-based carrier said in November it was already on the path to recovery as six-month losses dropped by more than half from a year earlier....

Iraq's Ministry of Planning has said several positive economic indicators have risen during 2021 and several measures are being taken to activate the economy. Abdul Zahra Al-Hindawi, a spokesman for Iraq's Planning Ministry, said those who lost their jobs in 2020 returned to their jobs, which helped in the economic...

Lawmakers from Israel also approved the health ministry recommendation to bar Israelis from travel to France, Ireland, Norway, Spain, Finland, Sweden, and the United Arab Emirates.

Under Hong Kong's rules, if an airline brings in too many infected passengers on a particular route, it is banned from flying that route for two weeks. Qatar Airways has already been banned five times for that.

The decision is said to have come at a meeting of Oman’s Supreme Committee tasked with tackling developments resulting from Covid-19.

An electrical short circuit in a store containing oxygen supplies for Covid patients caused the blast that rocked a Palestinian refugee camp in south Lebanon, the Islamist group Hamas said Saturday.

UAE has risen to the top spot on Bloomberg's Covid Resilience Ranking, dethroning Europe that has been dominating the top rungs of the Ranking for months. Bloomberg said the UAE has been one of the most consistent performers since the Ranking’s inception a year ago. Daily cases in the country...

The lead developer of the Oxford/AstraZeneca coronavirus vaccine warned the next pandemic could be "more lethal", urging better preparedness in a speech set to be aired Monday.

Seven jabs used as boosters against Covid-19 mostly produced a strong immune response, though results varied depending on the vaccine combination, a study said Friday.

The World Health Organization called Tuesday for countries to keep calm and take "rational" measures in response to the new, fast-spreading Covid variant Omicron, which has sparked global panic.

A South African doctor who raised the alarm over Omicron said Sunday dozens of her patients suspected of having the new variant had only shown mild symptoms and recovered fully without hospitalization.

Crypto "whale" Justin Sun has bought works by Picasso and Andy Warhol this year, and paid $78.4 million for Alberto Giacometti's "The Nose" sculpture this month.

In early trade, Tokyo, Hong Kong, Sydney, Wellington, Taipei, Manila and Jakarta were all down, though there were gains in Seoul and Singapore.

This week’s TRENDS Explainer Video highlights how economic growth looks like in the Arab countries this year as per the latest IMF report.

With the Covid infection tapering off in Saudi Arabia, there has been a reasonable increase in hotel occupancy rates in the kingdom, and the future looks more sanguine as the pandemic restrictions have been gradually removed, according to a study by CBRE.