Business

New Delhi, May 19 (PTI) The Indian Railways' most powerful 12000 HP Made in India locomotive made its maiden commercial run between Deen Dayal Upadhaya and Shivpur stations in Uttar Pradesh on Monday, the national transporter said.

Built by French company Alstom under the government's Make in India programme at the Railways' Madhepura factory in Bihar, these engines are the highest-powered locomotives that will run on Indian rails.

Chandigarh, May 20 (PTI) Public bus services resumed in Punjab on Wednesday almost two months after their suspension in the wake of the COVID-19 outbreak.

Buses of the state-owned Punjab Roadways and Pepsu Road Transport Corporation (PRTC) plied on select routes in non-containment zones within the state, officials said.

Punjab Transport Minister Razia Sultana had on May 18 announced resumption of point-to-point bus services between major cities and district headquarters from May 20 with 50 per cent occupancy.

BANGKOK, May 20 (NNN-TNA) – Thailand’s national flag carrier, Thai Airways International Plc, will seek restructuring via a bankruptcy court, after the Thai Cabinet Tuesday approved a rehabilitation plan for the troubled state enterprise.

The Cabinet meeting, chaired by Prime Minister, Prayut Chan-o-cha, agreed to the plan, proposed by the state enterprise policy committee, to pave way for Thai Airways to start restructuring process in the court.

19 May 2020; MEMO: A major cyberattack on a key Iranian port earlier this month has been claimed to have been conducted by Israel, a new report by the US-based newspaper the Washington Post has revealed.

19 May 2020; MEMO: Russian media outlets have speculated the sanctions that the US might impose on Egypt in the event that it acquires the Sukhoi Su-35 fighter, as Washington has previously threatened.

Beijing, May 18 (AFP/PTI) China on Monday announced 80.5 percent tariffs on Australian barley, days after suspending beef imports from the country -- a move that could escalate tensions between the countries.

Following a government investigation into Australian grain exports, China found Australian subsidies and dumping had "substantially damaged domestic industry," the commerce ministry said in a statement.

Kolkata, May 18 (PTI) Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Monday announced a slew of lockdown relaxations and said her government would not impose night curfew in West Bengal as proposed by the Centre.

Extending the coronavirus lockdown till May 31, Banerjee said street vendors, salon and parlour owners would be allowed to reopen the shops from May 27.

PARIS/BERLIN, May 19 (NNN-AGENCIES) — France and Germany are proposing a €500bn European recovery fund to be distributed to EU countries worst affected by Covid-19.

In talks via video link, French President Emmanuel Macron and German Chancellor Angela Merkel agreed that the funds should be provided as grants.

The proposal represents a significant shift in Merkel’s position.

Macron said it was a major step forward and was “what the eurozone needs to remain united”.

BRUSSELS/LONDON, May 19 (NNN-AGENCIES) — Stumbling through video calls, the long-troubled Brexit talks are heading for a new crisis as coronavirus health restrictions bar the intense face-to-face meetings that have proven crucial in pulling the negotiations back from the brink.

With increasingly frustrated British and EU negotiators trading barbs over each other’s “ideological approach” and “lack of understanding” of the consequences of Britain’s departure from the bloc, talks on a new trade pact between the estranged allies have made virtually no progress in recent months.

LONDON, May 19 (NNN-AGENCIES) — The number of people claiming unemployment benefits in Britain soared to its highest level since 1996 in April, the first full month of the government’s coronavirus lockdown, data published on Tuesday showed.

The claimant count rose by 856,500 – the biggest ever month-on-month leap – to 2.1 million, a 69 per cent increase, the Office for National Statistics said.