Business

Riyadh; 27 July 2021 (UMMN): Saudi Arabia is to ban travel to ‘Red List’ countries In an efforts to curb the spread of coronavirus and its new variants, state news agency SPA said on Tuesday.

"The Ministry of Interior stresses that citizens are still banned from travelling directly or via another country to these states or any other that has yet to control the pandemic or where the new strains have spread," the official said.

27 July 2021; MEMO: A decision by Israel's Environmental Protection Minister, Tamar Zandberg, to freeze a major oil deal with the UAE to Israel might lead to ties between the two countries being severed, UAE officials have warned.

The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) yesterday raised its travel warning level for Israel and the occupied Palestinian Territories due to the rising number of COVID-19 cases, Anadolu news agency reported.

The CDC said it was concerned about the rising number of coronavirus cases in Israel, the occupied West Bank and besieged Gaza, raising its travel health notice to "Level 3: High".

25 July 2021; MEMO: Iraq has signed an agreement allowing the cash-strapped Lebanese government pay for 1 million tonnes of heavy fuel oil a year in goods and services, helping Lebanon ease its acute power shortage, the two sides said on Saturday, reported Reuters.

Lebanon is in the throes of an economic meltdown threatening its stability. It has all but run down foreign reserves and faces a growing shortage of fuel, medicine and other basic goods. Most Lebanese face power cuts for many hours a day.

Canberra, Jul 25 (AP-PTI) Australia has garnered enough international support to defer an attempt by the United Nations' cultural organisation to downgrade the Great Barrier Reef's World Heritage status because of damage caused by climate change.

24 July 2021; MEMO: A Republican Texas official announced yesterday that he is considering blacklisting US-based ice cream company Ben & Jerry's following its decision to withdraw its product from settlements in the Israeli-occupied Palestinian Territory. "We believe that it is inconsistent with our values for Ben & Jerry's ice cream to be sold in the Occupied Palestinian Territory," explained the company

23 July 2021; MEMO: German Chancellor Angela Merkel yesterday reiterated her opposition to Turkey's full membership in the European Union but voiced support for closer ties with Ankara by updating the EU-Turkey Customs Union and a key refugee agreement, Anadolu Agency reports.

Ranchi, Jul 23 (PTI) Jharkhand Chief Minister Hemant Soren on Friday asked Coal India for immediate payment of Rs 56,000 crore outstanding dues in lieu of government land allotted to it for mining.

A delegation of domestic coal giant, headed by its Chairman and Managing Director, Pramod Agrawal had called on Soren here.

Coal India, the world's largest dry-fuel miner accounts for over 80 per cent of domestic production.

New Delhi, Jul 23 (PTI) US-based electric car major Tesla has demanded reduction in import duties on electric vehicles (EVs) in India, a senior government official said on Friday.

At present, cars imported as completely built units (CBUs) attract customs duty ranging from 60 per cent to 100 per cent, depending on engine size and cost, insurance and freight (CIF) value less or above USD 40,000.

Hyderabad, July 24 (PTI) Brazil has suspended the clinical studies of Bharat Biotech's COVID-19 vaccine, Covaxin following termination of the company's agreement with its partner there, the South American Country's health regulator said.

Bharat Biotech on Friday announced cancellation of the MoU it signed with Precisa Medicamentos and Envixia Pharmaceuticals LL.C for its COVID-19 vaccine Covaxin for the Brazilian market.