Business

10 Jan 2021; MEMO: Qatari vehicles crossed into Saudi Arabia through a land border on Saturday for the first time since Arab states severed diplomatic and transport ties with Doha in mid-2017, Saudi state TV said, following a deal this week to restore relations, Reuters reports.

"It's good the crisis has been resolved, and the warm welcome we had, and the happiness we see in our brothers," the driver of the second car to pass through the Abu Samra-Salwa crossing told Ekhbariya TV.

10 Jan 2021; MEMO: Foreign companies will not be allowed to test COVID-19 vaccines on the Iranian people, President Hassan Rouhani said on Saturday, a day after Iran's Supreme Leader banned vaccine imports from the United States and Britain, Reuters reports.

New Delhi, Jan 9 (PTI) Facebook-owned WhatsApp on Saturday said its latest update - which has received criticism from a multitude of users globally - describes business communication and does not change its data-sharing practices with the social media giant.

Earlier this week, WhatsApp had started rolling out in-app notifications to users about an update in its Terms of Service and privacy policy regarding how it processes user data and partners with Facebook to offer integrations across the social media giant's products.

Bhopal, Jan 10 (PTI) Bird flu cases have so far been confirmed in 13 districts of Madhya Pradesh, while around 1,100 crows and other wild birds have been found dead across 27 districts since the flu virus was first detected in the state last month, a government official said on Sunday.

A poultry market in Agar Malwa district has been shut for a week after the bird flu virus was detected in one sample there, the official from the public relations department said.

Lucknow, Jan 9 (PTI) The Uttar Pradesh government has decided to promulgate a tenancy-related ordinance aimed at safeguarding the rights and interests of both the landlords and tenants and check disputes between them.

The ordinance was approved in a Cabinet meeting chaired by Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath on Friday night and is likely to receive Governor Anandiben Patel's assent soon, said an official on Saturday.

09 Jan 2021; MEMO: Turkey is working to turn new chapters in its relations with the EU, the country's foreign minister said Friday, Anadolu Agency reported.

"In 2020, because of some of the problems that we experienced with some member countries, there have been occasional tensions in our relations with the EU, which is not a situation that we wish," Mevlut Cavusoglu said in a press conference with his Spanish counterpart Arancha Gonzalez Laya in the Spanish capital Madrid.

09 Jan 2021; MEMO: The United Arab Emirates (UAE) has announced the reopening of land, sea and air borders with Qatar, starting from Saturday, reported Sky News.

Saudi Arabia and Qatar had agreed to reopen their air, land and sea borders as of last Monday evening.

09 Jan 2021; MEMO: Qatari Foreign Minister Sheikh Mohammed Bin Abdulrahman Al-Thani has confirmed that his country will normalise its relations with Israel if it commits to the Arab Peace Initiative, RT reported on Thursday.

The minister stressed, according to RT Arabic, that Qatar's stance regarding the normalisation of ties with Israel is clear.

New Delhi, Jan 8 (PTI) India on Friday said its Ambassador in Beijing has taken up with the Chinese Vice Foreign Minister the issue of 39 Indian sailors stranded on two cargo ships in Chinese waters and requested early approval for crew change for Indian crew members aboard the two vessels.

Citing coronavirus-related restrictions, Chinese authorities have not allowed the ships, MV Jag Anand and MV Anastasia, to either dock or go for a crew change for months.

Chandigarh, Jan 8 (PTI) The Punjab government on Friday banned the import of poultry birds from other states with immediate effect till January 15.

"The government of Punjab imposes complete ban on import of live birds, including poultry and unprocessed poultry meat, for any purpose into the state of Punjab," the order issued by the state Animal Husbandry Department stated.

The decision will be reviewed based on the evolving situation, it said.