Business

MOSCOW, March 12. /TASS/. Russian military delegation led by Commander-in-Chief of the Ground Forces, Army General Oleg Salyukov has arrived in New Delhi for a working visit to discuss bilateral drills Indra-2019, the Defense Ministry’s information and mass communications department told reporters on Tuesday.

MOSCOW, March 12. /TASS/. Seoul plans to expand contacts in the sphere of cybersecurity at the international level, which includes Russia, South Korean Ambassador to Russia Woo Yoon-keun stated on Tuesday.

PARIS, March 12. /TASS/. The European Parliament considers necessary to curtail the Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline project, according to the report on the state of EU-Russia political relations approved on Tuesday.

"Russia and the EU will remain key economic partners in the foreseeable future, but Nord Stream 2 reinforces EU dependency on Russian gas supplies, threatens the EU internal market and is not in line with EU energy policy, and therefore needs to be stopped," the report says.

SYDNEY, March 13 (Xinhua) -- Virgin Australia have assured the public that they will not introduce any new aircraft to their fleet unless completely satisfied with its safety, the airline said on Wednesday.

The statement came after Sunday's Ethiopian Airlines crash which killed all 157 people on board.

Just five months prior, another Boeing 737 MAX 8 operated by Lion Air also went down in Indonesia, killing 189 people.

BERLIN, March 12 (Xinhua) -- Following a warning letter by the U.S. ambassador in Berlin, German Chancellor Angela Merkel said on Tuesday that it "goes without saying" that the German government would define its own security standards in its 5G expansion.

Merkel added that security in the expansion of Germany's 5G mobile network was a "precious asset" for the German government, and security standards would be discussed with Germany's partners in Europe and the United States.

LONDON, March 12 (Xinhua) -- British business leaders called for taking the no-deal option off the table to minimize disruption to the economy, after the UK parliament voted down Prime Minister Theresa May's revised Brexit deal on Tuesday evening.

Members of Parliament (MPs) voted 391-242 against the revised deal reached between the British government and the European Union in last-ditch talks in Strasbourg, France on Monday. It was the second heavy defeat for the Brexit deal since it was rejected by a margin of 230 in January.

NANJING, March 12 (Xinhua) -- The first China-made cruise ship for polar expeditions tested the water on Tuesday in Haimen, east China's Jiangsu Province.

Hu Xianfu, general manager of the shipbuilder China Merchants Group, said the 104.4-meters long vessel is 18.4 meters at the beam. It can operate at a speed of 15.5 knots.

With a gross tonnage of 7,400 tonnes, it can accommodate 255 people on board.

BRUSSELS, March 12 (Xinhua) -- Many European countries announced on Tuesday to ground Boeing 737 Max 8 aircraft following an Ethiopian Airlines plane crash on Sunday.

The Ethiopian Airlines Boeing 737 MAX 8 bound for Nairobi, Kenya, crashed shortly after taking off from the Ethiopian capital Addis Ababa, killing all 157 people on board, drawing renewed scrutiny of the plane after an 2018 crash of the same model in Indonesia claimed 189 lives.

LONDON, March 12 (Xinhua) -- It was yet another loss on Tuesday night for British Prime Minister Theresa May, as her Brexit deal was firmly rejected by Parliament.

A result of 391 to 242 votes was a devastating blow to May and could potentially delay the United Kingdom (UK) leaving the European Union (EU), threaten May's hold on power or derail Brexit entirely.

The vote has left the nation with little idea of a way forward, just 17 days before the UK is due to leave the EU.

Washington, Mar 12 :  US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo on Monday hoped that India will not be the "economic lifeline" to the "authoritarian" regime of Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro by purchasing oil from the Latin American country.

Pompep's comments came as Washington ramps up actions on Maduro's regime, which is battling to hold onto power in the face of heavy domestic and international pressure.

Venezuela is the third largest supplier of oil to India which is the world's third-biggest oil consumer.