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Indore (MP), Jan 8 (PTI) Nearly 450 chickens were culled in Madhya Pradesh's Indore city in the last 24 hours to prevent the spread of bird flu, a civic official said on Friday evening.

The Madhya Pradesh government has already ordered closure of poultry shops in Neemuch and Indore districts for a week after bird flu infection was found in some chickens.

"Nearly 450 poultry birds were culled and buried as per guidelines. We have also shut chicken shops in the city," municipal health officer Uttam Yadav said.

Kolkata, Jan 9 (PTI) A two-day special session of the West Bengal Assembly will begin on January 27 when the state government will table a resolution against the Centre's new farm laws and discuss the issue of agitating farmers.

State Parliamentary Affairs Minister Partha Chatterjee told reporters on Friday evening that a letter has been sent to Speaker Biman Bandyopadhyay, urging him for convening the special session.

Issues related to GST will also be taken up during the session, he said.

08 Jan 2021; MEMO: The United Arab Emirates (UAE) Minister of State for Foreign Affairs Anwar Gargash announced on Wednesday that trade and travel between Qatar and Arab states boycotting it would resume within one week of signing the reconciliation agreement in the Saudi city of Al-Ula.

08 Jan 2021; MEMO: An Iranian ship arrived at the Venezuelan port of La Guaira on Thursday, according to Refinitiv Eikon data, in what appeared to be a continuation of the commercial alliance between the two countries targeted by US sanctions, Reuters reports.

08 Jan 2021; MEMO: Turkey and France are working on a roadmap to normalise ties and talks are going well, Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu said on Thursday, adding Ankara was ready to improve ties with its NATO ally if Paris showed the same willingness, Reuters reports.

08 Jan 2021; MEMO: Qatari Foreign Minister Sheikh Mohammed Bin Abdulrahman Al-Thani confirmed that Qatar would not alter its relations with Iran and Turkey after signing the reconciliation agreement to end disputes with Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates (UAE), Bahrain and Egypt.

Washington, Jan 8 (AP-PTI) President-elect Joe Biden has picked Rhode Island Gov. Gina Raimondo to lead the Commerce Department, helping set trade policy and promote US opportunities for growth domestically and overseas.

Raimondo, a former venture capitalist, is in her second term as governor and previously served as state treasurer. Her name had been floated for Biden's health secretary, though she said last month she would be staying in Rhode Island and continuing to focus on the coronavirus pandemic.

United Nations, Jan 8 (AP-PTI) US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo has said he is sending UN Ambassador Kelly Craft to Taiwan next week to show what a free China could achieve, an announcement that sparked sharp criticism from Beijing and a warning that the United States will pay a heavy price for its wrong action.

Pompeo on Thursday called Taiwan a reliable partner and vibrant democracy that has flourished despite CCP (Chinese Communist Party) efforts to undermine its great success .

New Delhi, Jan 7 (PTI) The government has cleared eight hydropower projects of 144 MW on the Indus river and its tributaries in Ladakh, the highest so far, sources in the Jal Shakti Ministry said on Thursday.

At present, there are several small projects, with a collective capacity of 113 MW on Indus in Ladakh, and the new projects will have much more capacity than those constructed so far, a senior official added.

New Delhi, Jan 7 (PTI) Indian economy is estimated to contract 7.7 per cent in 2020-21 compared to 4.2 per cent growth in the previous fiscal, mainly on account of the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic.

As per the first advanced estimates of the national income released by the National Statistical Office (NSO) on Thursday, there was contraction in almost all sectors with the exception of agriculture.