Business

New Delhi, July 30 (PTI) High tariffs faced by domestic exporters in the European Union and the UK as compared to zero duty access given by these countries to nations like Bangladesh and Cambodia are affecting India's exports performance, Parliament was informed on Friday.

Minister of State for Textiles Darshana Jardosh also said that the textile industry has been hugely affected due to the outbreak of COVID-19 pandemic.

BEIJING, July 29 (Xinhua) -- Trade between China and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) has skyrocketed by 85 times since the two sides established their dialogue relations 30 years ago, official data showed.

China has remained ASEAN's largest trading partner for 12 consecutive years, said Ren Hongbin, assistant minister of commerce. In 2020, ASEAN also became China's largest trading partner.

29 July 2021; MEMO: A Turkish opposition leader has offered Austria €3 billion ($3.56 billion) to take all the Afghan refugees residing in Turkey, in reaction to the Austrian prime minister's suggestion last week that Turkey should keep all refugees within its borders.

The chairman of Turkey's IYI (Good) Party, Meral Aksener, condemned Sebastian Kurz's comments as inappropriate on Tuesday, stating: "This tactless Austrian prime minister said that all Afghans should stay in Turkey and he could pay us."

29 July 2021; MEMO: The founders of Ben & Jerry's ice cream have stated that they are "proud Jews", that Israel was one of their first overseas markets and that they are "supporters of the State of Israel."

However, they conveyed in an opinion piece published by The New York Times on Wednesday: "It's possible to support Israel and oppose some of its policies, just as we've opposed policies of the US government."

New Delhi, Jul 29 (PTI) Air India has sold its 115 properties for Rs 738 crore since 2015 to offset its debt, Minister of State for Civil Aviation V K Singh said on Thursday.

According to the decision of Air India Specific Alternative Mechanism (AISAM) in 2018, disinvestment-bound Air India has been monetising its immovable assets to offset its debt. The carrier had a debt of around Rs 60,000 crore as on March 2019.

New Delhi, Jul 28 (PTI) Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday welcomed President Joe Biden's strong commitment to strengthen the India-US strategic partnership when US Secretary of State Antony Blinken called on him.

"Good to meet US Secretary of State @SecBlinken today. I welcome President Biden's strong commitment to strengthen the India-US Strategic Partnership, which is anchored in our shared democratic values and is a force for global good," Modi tweeted.

28 July 2021; MEMO: The Turkish Foreign Ministry yesterday condemned the European Union's statement on the partial reopening of the Maras region in the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC), Anadolu news agency reported.

28 July 2021; MEMO: Turkish, Azerbaijani and Pakistani parliament speakers accepted the Baku Declaration in a ceremony held at the Azerbaijani Parliament yesterday, Anadolu reports.

Turkish Parliament Speaker Mustafa Sentop and his Pakistani and Azerbaijani counterparts Asad Qaiser and Sahiba Gafarova, signed the declaration following a trilateral meeting.

The declaration strengthens cooperation between the three countries' parliaments and further enhances their political ties, among other issues.

New Delhi, Jul 27 (PTI) InterGlobe Aviation, parent of the country's largest airline IndiGo, on Tuesday reported a net loss of Rs 3,174 crore for the three months to June, primarily due to a sharp decline in revenues amid the second wave of the coronavirus pandemic.

The airline, which had a fleet of 277 planes at the end of June 2021, incurred a net loss of Rs 2,844 crore in the year-ago period.

New Delhi, Jul 28 (PTI) Drug firm Pfizer Ltd on Wednesday reported a 60.63 per cent rise in its net profit to Rs 199.91 crore for the quarter ended in June mainly on account of robust sales.

The company had posted a net profit of Rs124.45 crore for the corresponding period of the previous fiscal, Pfizer Ltd said in a regulatory filing.

Revenue from operations of the company stood at Rs 749.17 crore for the quarter under consideration. It was Rs 514.89 crore for the same period a year ago, it added.