Author: News Desk

Apple Inc has created a $200 million fund to invest in timber-producing forest properties that will be managed to help remove carbon from the atmosphere while also generating a profit, it said on Thursday. Apple last year set out a goal to neutralize its own carbon emissions and those of its suppliers by 2030. It said 75% of the reduction would come from eliminating emissions through steps such as the use of solar energy and the remaining 25% would come from carbon removal efforts. Apple and nonprofit Conservation International will be limited partners in the $200 million “Restore Fund,” as…

Top U.N., financial and vaccine officials on Thursday urged rich countries to donate excess COVID-19 vaccine doses to a program supplying lower income countries in a bid to end the pandemic and get the global economy back on track. At an event organised by the Gavi Vaccine Alliance to boost support for the COVAX vaccine-sharing initiative, the officials appealed for another $2 billion by June for the programme, which aims to buy up to 1.8 billion doses in 2021. COVAX has shipped more than 38 million vaccine doses to 111 countries in seven weeks, most of them AstraZeneca’s shot. “Global…

Abu Dhabi: Yusuff Ali MA, prominent NRI businessman and Chairman of retail group Lulu has been honoured with Abu Dhabi’s top civilian award. The prestigious Abu Dhabi Award was given to Yusufali for his Outstanding Contribution to Abu Dhabi’s Business, Industry and support to various philanthropical initiatives. His Highness Shaikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and Deputy Supreme Commander of UAE Armed Forces presented the award to Yusuff Ali in Abu Dhabi. “A very proud and emotional moment in my life. I am really overwhelmed and humbled to receive such a great honour from Abu…

LONDON: Prince Philip, husband of Queen Elizabeth and a leading figure in the British royal family for almost seven decades, has died aged 99, Buckingham Palace said on Friday. The Duke of Edinburgh, as he was officially known, had been by his wife’s side throughout her 69-year reign, the longest in British history, during which time he earned a reputation for a tough, no-nonsense attitude and a propensity for occasional gaffes. “It is with deep sorrow that Her Majesty The Queen announces the death of her beloved husband, His Royal Highness The Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh,” the palace said…

SHARJAH: Sharjah private schools can resume face-to-face classes starting from next week, Sharjah Private Education Authority (SPEA) announced. Earlier, in February, schools had been directed to shift to 100 per cent distance learning until the end of the second semester. With the spring break coming to an end this week for most international curriculum schools, such schools can, starting April 11, resume face-to-face classes, SPEA confirmed on its social media. They can also follow a hybrid system, combing both online and in-person models. SPEA said: “With the approval of the Sharjah Emergency Crisis & Disaster Management Team and Sharjah Private…

The cryptocurrency market capitalization hit an all-time peak of $2 trillion, according to data and market trackers CoinGecko and Blockfolio, as gains over the last several months attracted demand from both institutional and retail investors. By mid-afternoon, the crypto market cap was at $2.02 trillion. The surge in crypto market cap was led by bitcoin, which hit its own milestone by holding the $1 trillion market cap for one whole week. Bitcoin was last up 1.4% at $59,045. Since hitting a lifetime peak of more than $61,000 in mid-March, bitcoin has since traded in a relatively narrow range. Analysts said…

Novavax Inc said on Monday participants in its ongoing COVID-19 vaccine trials in South Africa and the UK can now receive additional shots, ensuring those who received a placebo can also get the active vaccine. Allowing volunteers to crossover to the active vaccine offers them an incentive to continue in the trials even when other authorized vaccines are available. The company said it planned to cross over participants in its ongoing large, late-stage study in the United States and Mexico, for which the company plans to read out initial clinical data during the second quarter. If authorized for emergency use…

MOSCOW: Russian President Vladimir Putin has signed a law that could keep him in office in the Kremlin until 2036, the government said on Monday. The legislation allows him to run for two more six-year terms once his current stint ends in 2024. It follows changes to the constitution last year. Those changes were backed in a public vote last summer and could allow Putin, 68, to potentially remain in power until the age of 83. He is currently serving his second consecutive term as president and his fourth in total. The law signed by Putin limits any future president…

BELGRADE: His Majesty the King’s Representative for Humanitarian Work and Youth Affairs HH Shaikh Nasser bin Hamad Al Khalifa arrived in Serbia on an official visit. HH Shaikh Nasser bin Hamad was received on his arrival by Serbian Prime Minister Ana Brnabić and other officials. In a statement on his arrival, he praised the warm welcome, hailing strong relations binding the Kingdom of Bahrain and the Republic of Serbia, supported by HM King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa and follow-up by His Royal Highness Prince Salman bin Hamad Al Khalifa, the Crown Prince and Prime Minister.