Business

15 Dec 2021; MEMO: Lebanon's Parliament Speaker, Nabih Berri, said, Wednesday, his country is under siege, amid a diplomatic crisis with Gulf countries Anadolu News Agency reports.

Speaking during a meeting with the head of Lebanon's Editors-in-Chief Syndicate, Joseph Qossaifi, Berri questioned how Arab countries could open their doors for Israel, while they "close their gates in front of Lebanon, who paid a heavy price to preserve its Arab identity."

15 Dec 2021; MEMO: American and Palestinian officials yesterday held the first economic meeting in five years, a statement issued by the US Department of State said.

A wide range of US and Palestinian Authority (PA) officials and agencies attended the meeting, which was held virtually. "They discuss[ed] current and future areas of economic cooperation," the statement said.

New Delhi, Dec 14 (PTI) The Quad is a very contemporary arrangement having an open-minded and creative approach that has helped it in moving "very effectively" in addressing various problems, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar said on Tuesday.

Talking about the importance of critical technologies and India's journey in acquiring them in the backdrop of the Indo-US nuclear deal around 15 years back, he said though Washington discovered a certain value in ties with New Delhi, there were others who were "dogmatic" in their views of the world and found it hard to do this.

14 Dec 2021; MEMO: Fuel supplier Bunker Holding, its chief executive and its subsidiary were convicted by a Danish local court today for breaching European Union sanctions by selling jet fuel to war-torn Syria, court documents showed, Reuters reports.

14 Dec 2021; MEMO: The UAE and Israel have agreed to establish a joint research and development fund to help reinforce common interests, including trade, technology, energy and climate challenges, the official WAM news agency reported yesterday.

According to WAM, the agreement was announced following the meeting between Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett and Crown Prince of the UAE, Sheikh Mohamed Bin Zayed Al-Nahyan, in Abu Dhabi.

Mathura, Dec 13 (PTI) BJP MP Subramanian Swamy here on Monday criticised his party's government at the Centre, saying neither the PM nor the finance minister know economics.

He also held the Union finance minister responsible for the price rise it the country, saying she does not consult anyone.

"The government does not understand economics, neither the PM knows nor the finance minister," he told reporters, adding that they do consult anyone over it.

Mumbai, Dec 14 (PTI) The rupee on Tuesday declined by 10 paise to 75.88 against the US dollar as muted domestic equities and persistent foreign fund outflows weighed on the local unit.

At the interbank foreign exchange market, the local currency opened at 75.94 against the greenback. During the day, the local unit witnessed an intra-day low of 75.95 and a high of 75.83 against the US dollar.

In the previous session, the rupee had settled at 75.78 against the greenback.

New Delhi, Dec 14(PTI) The Delhi-Kathmandu bus service, suspended for over one and half years due to the COVID-19 pandemic, will resume from December 15, Transport officials said on Tuesday.

A notification issued on Monday by the Delhi Transport Corporation(DTC)stated that the Delhi-Kathmandu bus will operate from Ambedkar Bus Terminal at 10 AM on December 15, said DTC Deputy Chief General Manager (PR) RS Minhas.

The DTC has tied up with Skyline India (Motors) Pvt Ltd for operation of the bus.

11 Dec 2021; MEMO: Iran's Vice President for parliamentary affairs, Mohammad Hosseini, has announced that Iran is ready to help reconstruct Syria, following a decade of the ongoing conflict in which Tehran was involved

In a meeting with the Syrian ambassador to Iran Shafiq Dayoub today, Hosseini stated that the Iranian government under the new president Ebrahim Raisi "gives a great priority to broaden ties with neighbouring countries and the region, especially Syria," which he referred to as an ally and strategic partner.

Lucknow, Dec 12 (PTI) Nullifying the phrase 'beggars can't be choosers', a non-profit organisation has launched a project to help them earn a living by making items such as laptop and conference bags.

Common Man Trust, a not-for-profit in Varanasi, conceptualised the initiative 'Beggars Corporation' in February and launched it in July.

Laying stress on investment, and not on donation, this corporation envisages to make Varanasi become a beggar-free city by 2023.