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Mumbai, Jan 10 (PTI) Railway staff affiliated to the Western Railway Mazdoor Sangh on Friday staged a protest in Mumbai Central against a ministry plan to let private firms operate long-distance trains on several routes.

The WRMS protest meet was held outside the office complex of WR's Mumbai divisional railway manager (DRM) and was led by the trade union's general secretary JS Mahurkar.

The protest was supported by other outfits like the Shiv Sena's Sthaniya Lokadhikar Samiti, union functionaries said.

WASHINGTON, Jan 10 (NNN-CNA) — The United States will go through with the sale of up to 12 F-35B fighter jets to Singapore, pending approval by Congress, according to a Defense Security Cooperation Agency news.

Singapore’s request to buy four F-35B fighter jets, with the option of buying eight more, for an estimated cost of US$2.75 billion (S$3.71 billion) has been approved by the State Department, said the agency, adding that it had notified Congress of the possible sale on Thursday.

LONDON, Jan 10 (NNN-AGENCIES) — Britain’s parliament finally approved Brexit on Thursday, allowing it to become the first country to leave the European Union later this month, ending years of arguments that toppled two governments and splintered society.

The House of Commons erupted in cheers after MPs ratified Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s divorce deal with Brussels by 330 votes to 231, turning the page on an extraordinary era of political drama and chaos.

09 Jan 2019; MEMO: Israeli authorities are taking steps to ease the blockade of the Gaza Strip in the context of indirect talks with Hamas over a longer-term truce, reported Al-Monitor.

09 Jan 2019; MEMO: The National Shipping Company of Saudi Arabia (Bahri) has temporarily suspended the passage of its oil tankers through the Strait of Hormuz after the Iranian rocket strike on US targets in Iraq, the Wall Street Journal reported yesterday.

Saudi Arabia owns 43 per cent of Bahri and the suspension of its operations may cause the kingdom financial losses. Saudi did not comment on the report.

New Delhi, Jan 8 (PTI) Banking services were impacted on Wednesday as employees went on a nationwide strike called by 10 central trade unions to protest against the government's "anti-people" policies.

Branch activities including cash withdrawal deposit in public sector banks in many places across the country have been affected due to the strike.

New Delhi, Jan 9 (PTI) Ahead of the Union Budget for 2020-21, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday met economists and sector experts at the Niti Aayog to discuss the state of the economy and steps which can be taken to revive growth which is projected to drop to 5 per cent this fiscal.

The high-profile meeting was attended by Home Minister Amit Shah, Road Transport and Highways Minister Nitin Gadkari, besides Niti Aayog Vice Chairman Rajiv Kumar, CEO Amitabh Kant and other senior officials of the think-tank.

RIO DE JANEIRO, Jan 9 (NNN-PRENSA LATINA) – Brazil’s President, Jair Bolsonaro, will not attend the upcoming World Economic Forum at Davos, Switzerland, presidential spokesperson, Otavio Rego Barros, said.

“The President and his assistants, analysed a series of aspects — economic, security, political. And those aspects, together, allowed the President to evaluate that he should not participate in this forum at this moment,” Rego Barros, said.

Bolsonaro mentioned the possibility of not attending the summit earlier this week, citing security reasons.

08 Jan 2019; MEMO: EgyptAir has announced it will suspend flights to Baghdad for three days due to the instable security situation in Iraq.

The Ministry of Civil Aviation has said the decision is to ensure the safety of passengers and airplanes.

Istanbul, Jan 8 (AFP/PTI) Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan will host Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin on Wednesday to inaugurate a new gas pipeline, with tensions in Libya and Syria also on the agenda.

Putin arrived late on Tuesday after paying a surprise visit to Syria -- his first to Damascus since the war began -- at a moment of acute uncertainty in the Middle East following the assassination of top Iranian general Qasem Soleimani by the United States.