UAE Weekly News Roundup 21/02/21
21st February 2021

Welcome to Gateway's 24th UAE Weekly News Roundup online magazine. Featuring business headlines from the last week, this resource aims to help you quickly and conveniently keep in touch with business in Abu Dhabi and Dubai.
Links to articles are in purple. In some instances where the publisher and date is mentioned without a link, it means it was seen in the paper version of the title and no online link was found.
Trade license-related headlines
2,025 new companies joined DMCC in 2020, highest in 5 years (WAM 15/02/2021)
Abu Dhabi Department of Economic Development closes down 354 commercial establishments in implementation of COVID-19 countermeasures (WAM 16/02/2021)
Dubai closes 32 food outlets for breaching Covid-19 rules this year (The National 16/02/2021)
Dubai travel agency shut down for selling Covid-19 tests on WhatsApp (The National 18/02/2021)
31 Dubai shops fined for breaking Covid rules (Khaleej Times 21/02/2021)
UAE bilateral trade relationship headlines
Trade in COVID-19 related products and medicines between UAE and Jordan grew 10% in 2020 (WAM 14/02/2021)
Hope Probe’s success ‘inspires’ South Korea’s space projects (WAM 14/02/2021)
Dubai, UK trade hit AED21.5bn in 2020 (WAM 14/02/2021)
Non-oil trade between UAE, Africa in first nine months of 2020 totals US$40.7 billion (WAM 15/02/2021)
Mubadala, Ukrainian companies to explore investment opportunities (WAM 15/02/2021)
Second UAE- France Forum kicks off at UAEU (WAM 15/02/2021)
Abu Dhabi Chamber signs economic cooperation agreement with Tel Aviv Chamber of Commerce (WAM 16/02/2021)
Shakhbout bin Nahyan meets President of Burkina Faso (WAM 16/02/2021)
UAE Consul General meets Health Minister of Iraqi Kurdistan (WAM 18/02/2021)
Mohamed bin Zayed meets Lebanese PM-designate Saad Hariri (WAM 19/02/2021)
Abdullah bin Zayed, Sudanese counterpart exploring boosting ties (WAM 19/02/2021)
Abdullah bin Zayed, Russian Minister of Trade discuss advancing strategic partnership (WAM 20/02/2021)
UAE Ambassador, Brazilian Minister of Infrastructure discuss cooperation (WAM 20/02/2021)
Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid and Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed meet Bahrain King in his Abu Dhabi home (The National 20/02/2021)
UAE calls for more tech collaboration among Arab allies (The National 20/02/2021)
UAE economy-related headlines
Rising oil, faster vaccine rollout, Expo 2020 to accelerate UAE recovery in H2 (Khaleej Times 13/02/2021)
UAE Press: 'Thrive in Abu Dhabi' is a smart move to attract talent (WAM 14/02/2021)
ADGM enacts its new Data Protection Regulations 2021 (WAM 14/02/2021)
FTA continues inspection in local markets to ensure compliance with tax regulations (WAM 14/02/2021)
Ewec invites bids for major desalination plant in Abu Dhabi (The National 15/02/2021)
Dubai Airports saw 25.9 million passengers in 2020 (Gulf News 15/02/2021)
Migrant exodus weighs on GCC growth: S&P (Khaleej Times 15/02/2021)
Ministry of Energy and Infrastructure implements 129 development projects worth (WAM 16/02/2021)
UAE ranked first in MEA region in terms of foreign investments in biotechnology sector (WAM 16/02/2021)
Economic, commercial activities in UAE continue positive run in first half of February (WAM 16/02/2021)
Why the low interest rate environment is spurring UAE residents to refinance mortgages (The National 16/02/2021)
Will the UAE’s accelerated vaccine campaign help fuel economic growth? (The National 16/02/2021)
Abu Dhabi oil town Ruwais to halt visitor access for three weeks to control Covid-19 (The National 16/02/2021)
Rents at 10-year low: Should UAE residents buy homes? (Gulf News 16/02/2021)
UAE passes draft law to combat fake degrees (Gulf News 16/02/2021)
2m drivers’ licences processed in 2020 (Gulf News 16/02/2021)
Value of real estate transactions in Abu Dhabi in 2020 totalled AED74 billion (WAM 17/02/2021)
Over 340 million riders used mass transit means, shared transport, taxis in 2020 despite COVID-19 challenges (WAM 17/02/2021)
Dubai records AED6.74 billion in real estate sales in January 2021 (WAM 17/02/2021)
Hope Probe enhances UAE’s soft power, efforts for Arab World’s knowledge hub status (WAM 17/02/2021)
UAE in space: will the country soon have its first female astronaut? (The National 17/02/2021)
Regional energy industry requires 'substantial' capital post-Covid, Apicorp says (The National 17/02/2021)
Dubai developer expects UAE property market to recover by second half of 2021 (The National 17/02/2021)
Prison sentence and Dh50,000 fine for Covid-19 patients who do not report to authorities (The National 17/02/2021)
UAE most prepared country for B2C e-commerce in Middle East, says UN (Khaleej Times 17/02/2021)
Mental health support amid Covid only a call away now (Khaleej Times 17/02/2021)
RTA attracted over AED1 bn in foreign investment in 2020 (WAM 18/02/2021)
AED4.9 billion of weeklong real estate transactions in Dubai (WAM 18/02/2021)
Gulf defence spending to rebound to pre-pandemic levels by 2024, Janes says (The National 18/02/2021)
Fake CVs and degrees: tough action will remove blight on industry, recruiters say (The National 18/02/2021)
Home with a visa: Property-linked visas back in UAE (Gulf News 18/02/2021)
Gulfood 2021 returns with focus on safety, innovation, and sustainability (Khaleej Times 18/02/2021)
Organisations have a responsibility to ensure employee physical and mental health (Khaleej Times 18/02/2021)
Hospitality prospects remain intact (Khaleej Times 18/02/2021)
FNC proposes unifying legal fees and hiring Emiratis in international law firms in the UAE (The National 19/02/2021)
Covid-19 pandemic gives rise to telehealth services across Gulf (The National 19/02/2021)
How UAE camel cloning became an industry worth millions of dirhams (The National 19/02/2021)
UAE banks will find 2021 is no normal year either (Gulf News 19/02/2021)
Environment Agency reveals key challenges faced in Abu Dhabi (WAM 20/02/2021)
UAE jobs alert: Health ministry, hospitals are hiring (Khaleej Times 20/02/2021)
UAE is best in region for remote working (Khaleej Times 20/02/2021)
All 7 Emirates announce new, stricter Covid safety rules (Khaleej Times 20/02/2021)
Dubai Government jobs: Multiple openings available (Khaleej Times 20/02/2021)
Dubai's prime areas lifting real estate market
UAE stresses importance of digital technologies in achieving sustainable development (WAM 21/02/2021)
Idex 2021: UAE Armed Forces sign $1.37bn of military deals on day one (The National 21/02/2021)
UAE's new measures to combat money laundering (Khaleej Times 21/02/2021)
93% UAE residents proud to live in country: Survey (Khaleej Times 21/02/2021)
Dubai most Instagrammed city in region during spring (Khaleej Times 21/02/2021)
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Written by Jenny Hunt, Founding Partner & CEO Gateway Group of Companies, Abu Dhabi & Dubai UAE
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