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23 Dec 2019; MEMO: Libya’s UN-recognized Government of National Accord (GNA) on Sunday slammed Greek Foreign Minister Nikos Dendias’ surprise visit to Benghazi, Anadolu reports.

The visit violates the decisions of international institutions which consider the GNA the country’s only legitimate government, said Libyan Foreign Minister Mohamed Taher Siala in a statement released on the ministry’s social media account.

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates, Dec 23 (NNN-WAM) – Dubai is expected to host some five million tourists, during the peak period of the Christmas season and the New Year.

Dubai is ranked among the top ten favourite international destinations in 2020, on the annual list of Lonely Planet, a leading international travel and tourism guide.

The city will host Expo 2020, an international event ready to attract people from all over the world.

Expo 2020 Dubai is the first World Expo to be held in the Middle East.

KUWAIT, Dec 23 (NNN-XINHUA) – The Organisation of Arab Petroleum Exporting Countries (OAPEC), held the 103rd meeting in Kuwait, to discuss 2020 draft budget, along with topics related to the current petroleum situation.

During his speech, OAPEC Secretary General, Abbas Al-Naqi, said, during the last 10 years the organisation made many achievements and expansion, in terms of studies and enhanced relationship regional and internationally.

BERLIN, Dec 23 (NNN-AGENCIES) — German cabin crew union UFO said arbitration talks with Lufthansa had failed and its members could stage strikes any time from now on, though they would spare passengers industrial action on Dec 24, 25 and 26.

In addition to a dispute over pay and pensions, UFO has been at odds with Lufthansa for months over the union’s legal status. Lufthansa has said the union’s leadership team that took office earlier this year was not elected in a way that met legal requirements.

BEIJING, Dec 23 (NNN-XINHUA) – Chinese President, Xi Jinping, today (Monday), met with President of South Korea, Moon Jae-in, at the Great Hall of the People, in Beijing.

China and South Korea should deepen and develop their strategic cooperative partnership, accommodate each other’s core interests and major concerns, and lift bilateral ties to a higher level, Xi said.

Moon is in China to attend the Eighth China-Japan-South Korea leaders’ meeting, which will be held in China’s southwestern city of Chengdu on Tuesday (tomorrow).

New Delhi, Dec 21 (PTI) SBI Chairman Rajnish Kumar on Saturday nudged industry leaders to enrich their borrowing capacity so as to boost investment in the economy, asserting there is no dearth of funds and most of the banks will be in a better position by March-end as far as stressed assets are concerned.

He also said that the State Bank of India (SBI) is underutilising its loan sanction limits as there is not enough credit demand from the industry.

New Delhi, Dec 21 (PTI) Finance Secretary Rajiv Kumar on Saturday denied the "baseless rumours" that Indian citizens need to declare their religion for opening of bank accounts and KYC purpose.

The clarification comes after a news report suggested that Indian banks may ask depositors and customers to list their religion.

"There is no requirement for #Indian citizens to declare their religion for opening/ existing #Bank account or for #KYC. Do not fall for baseless rumours about any such move by Banks," Kumar said in a late evening tweet.

Noida, Dec 21 (PTI) The Yamuna Expressway Authority on Saturday cancelled the allotment of 1,000 hectares of land to Jaypee group on which India's only Formula One motor racing circuit is built in Greater Noida over non-payment of dues, officials said.

The decision was taken by the Yamuna Expressway Industrial Development Authority (YEIDA) during its 66th Board meeting.

DUBLIN, Dec 22 (NNN-AGENCIES) – Ireland exported a total of 7.35 billion euros (about 8.13 billion U.S. dollars) worth of goods to China, in the first 10 months of this year, up by nearly 77 percent, compared with the same period last year, according to the latest figures released by the country’s Central Statistics Office (CSO).

TOKYO, Dec 22 (NNN-NHK) – Japanese Prime Minister, Shinzo Abe, held a phone conversation with U.S. President, Donald Trump, late Saturday night, to brief him about the outcome of the Japanese prime minister’s talks with Iranian President, Hassan Rouhani, local media reported.

During the conversation, which lasted about 75 minutes, Abe told Trump that Japan will continue diplomatic efforts to ease tensions in the Middle East by working closely with the United States, according to local media reports.