Business

New Delhi, Jul 2 (PTI) Private train operations in the country will begin by April 2023, and the ticket fares in these trains will be competitive with airfares on similar routes, the Railways said Thursday.

Addressing a press conference online, Railway Board Chairman VK Yadav said that private players in passenger train operations will mean a quantum jump in technology and coaches that run at higher speeds.

KUALA LUMPUR, July 2 (NNN-BERNAMA) — The Ministry of Plantation Industries and Commodities will file legal action against the European Union over alleged discriminatory anti-palm oil campaign through a dispute settlement mechanism under the World Trade Organisation (WTO).

Its minister, Datuk Dr Mohd Khairuddin Aman Razali said the legal action, in collaboration with the Attorney General’s Chamber, was based on principle and justification, as well as in line with the trade practices underlined by the WTO.

CORFU (Greece), July 2 (NNN-AGENCIES) — Greece reopened flights to its flagship island destinations as it raced to salvage a portion of the annual tourism season that is vital to its economy.

Over 100 flights are expected at 14 regional airports that include the popular islands of Corfu, Santorini, Mykonos, Rhodes and Crete, airport manager Fraport said.

All airports in the country are now receiving international flights and the ports of Patras and Igoumenista will again receive ferries from Italy.

HAVANA, July 2 (NNN-Xinhua) — Cuba partially reopened its borders to international tourists in keeping with measures adopted by the government as part of the country’s post-pandemic recovery plan.

On March 31, the Caribbean nation announced the suspension of international flights and asked international boats to withdraw from its territorial waters as a precautionary measure to slow the spread of the coronavirus nationwide.

RAMALLAH, July 2 (NNN-WAFA) – The Palestinian economy may lose more than 3.5 billion U.S. dollars annually, if Israel implements its plan to annex parts of the West Bank, a senior Palestinian official said.

Mazen Ghoneim, head of the Palestinian Water Authority, told official Palestinian television that, the Palestinians will lose about 600 million cubic metres of water per year, and at least 73,000 job opportunities, if Israel annexes the Jordan Valley in the West Bank.

BEIRUT, July 2 (NNN-NNA) – Lebanese Defence Minister, Zeina Akar, accused the International Monetary Fund (IMF) of basing its support for Lebanon on political considerations, LBCI TV channel reported.

“The IMF decided not to open up to our government, even if it announces readiness to offer great support, when structural reforms are achieved,” Akar said.

Lebanon must not wait for foreign aid, she added, noting, officials can save the country if they work seriously on structural reforms without wasting more time.

BEIJING (AP) — China on Wednesday demanded Washington stop “oppressing Chinese companies” after U.S. regulators declared telecom equipment suppliers Huawei and ZTE to be national security threats.

The Federal Communications Commission on Tuesday blocked the Chinese vendors from receiving subsidies from a government fund, stepping up efforts to limit their access to the U.S. market.

A foreign ministry spokesman accused Washington of “abusing state power” to hurt Chinese companies “without any evidence.”

BEIJING (AP) — China has demanded staff and business information from four U.S. media companies including The Associated Press in what it called a necessary response to similar demands by Washington on Chinese state-controlled news outlets.

Foreign ministry spokesperson Zhao Lijian announced Wednesday that the AP, United Press International, CBS and National Public Radio had seven days to file declarations regarding their staff, financial operations, real estate ownership and other matters.

01 July 2020; MEMO: The Lebanese government on Tuesday raised the price of a 900-gramme loaf of partially subsidised bread to 2,000 pounds from its pre-October-crisis price of 1,500 pounds.

The pound, which is officially pegged at 1,500 to the dollar, has lost over 80% of its value since October and is now trading at nearly 9,000 to the dollar on the black market after sharp falls in recent days.

New Delhi, Jul 1 (PTI) The country's largest carmaker Maruti Suzuki India on Wednesday reported a 54 per cent decline in total sales at 57,428 units in June.

The company had sold 1,24,708 units in June last year, Maruti Suzuki India (MSI) said in a statement.

Domestic sales declined by 53.7 per cent to 53,139 units last month, as against 1,14,861 units in June 2019, it added.

The company exported 4,289 units last month, down 56.4 per cent from 9,847 units in June 2019, MSI said.