01-01-2021 The Asian Independent

www.theasianindependent.co.uk
ASIA
01-01-2021 to 15-01-2021
7
2,00,000-year-old tools from Stone
Age unearthed in Saudi Arabia
Riyadh : A Saudi scientific team
from the Heritage Authority discovered
stone tools used by the inhabitants
of Assyrian civilization in the
Paleolithic period that date back to
2,00,000 years. The Heritage Authority
said in a press statement that the discovered
stone tools from the Shuaib
Al-Adgham area, located east of the
Al-Qassim region, are stone axes from
the Middle Paleolithic period.
These are unique and rare stone
axes that were characterised by the
high precision in manufacturing that
these human groups used in their daily
life. The abundance of stone tools discovered
from this site indicated the
numerical density of prehistoric communities
that lived in this region. It is
also a clear indication that the climatic
conditions in the Arabian Peninsula
were very suitable for these human
groups as they benefited from the natural
resources available therein, the
Saudi Gazette reported.
The satellite images showed that
the Shuaib Al-Adgham and other sites
were connected with passages of
rivers to confirm that humans used
2021 will be
year of growth,
vows Pak PM
Islamabad : Pakistan Prime
Minister Imran Khan on Friday
said the new year will be a year
of economic growth for the
country. He said that the country
was already moving in the
right direction with essential
industries increasing output.
Speaking at an event in
Islamabad, the Prime Minister
said the construction industry
was already on its way up,
which he said was evident from
rising cement sales in the country,
the Dawn reported.
"When cement sales are
increasing it is a clear sign that
construction activity is on the
rise," he said.
Imran said the textile industry
was "producing at capacity
for the first time in many years"
which he said had given rise to
a shortage of labour in the sector.
The Prime Minister said
these signs were indicating that
the country was in the right
direction and that Pakistan was
among nations that had seen the
"fastest recovery from the
Covid-19 pandemic."
Singapore : A free trade agreement
(FTA) between the UK and Singapore
takes effect from 7 a.m. on Friday,
ensuring that companies from both
countries continue to enjoy the same
trading benefits even as the UK leaves
the transition period for its exit from the
European Union.
The EU-Singapore Free Trade
Agreement will no longer apply to trade
between UK and Singapore when the
new deal kicks in, said the Ministry of
Trade and Industry on Thursday.
Both countries have completed their
respective domestic procedures for the
FTA's provisional application, which
enables them to apply treaty commitments
on a provisional basis until the
FTA is ratified by both countries and
enters into force, The Straits Times
reported.
The UK is Singapore's third and second-largest
trading partner for goods
and services respectively, as well as its
top investment destination in Europe. In
turn, Singapore is the UK's largest trade
and investment partner in South-east
Asia.
The UK-Singapore FTA was inked
on December 10 by Minister for Trade
and Industry Chan Chun Sing and UK
Secretary of State for International
Trade Elizabeth Truss. The Ministry of
Trade and Industry (MTI) said the UK-
Singapore FTA provides certainty and
clarity in trading arrangements between
both countries.
"Companies will be able to enjoy the
same EU-Singapore FTA benefits when
trading between the UK and Singapore
rivers to reach deep into the interior
regions of the Arabian Peninsula in
ancient times. According to the wide
spatial distribution of the Assyrian
sites, they were the largest concentrations
of human inhabitance worldwide.
It also indicates that human
groups in the Arabian Peninsula were
able to cross through vast swathes of
geographical distances, while the large
under the UK-Singapore FTA," MTI
said.
These include tariff elimination for
goods trade, increased access to services
and government procurement markets,
and a reduction of non-tariff barriers.
In terms of tariffs, the UK-Singapore
FTA will maintain the same timeline for
tariff reductions as the European Union-
Singapore FTA.
This means that 84 per cent of
Singapore exports entering Britain will
continue to be duty-free once the agreement
enters into force. By November
21, 2024, tariffs on virtually all remaining
products will be eliminated.
Liberal and flexible rules of origin
for Britain and Singapore's key exports
number of sites centered around
ancient valleys and rivers indicated
that these groups were gradually
spreading and discovering new sites
when they needed them. These sites
to each other's markets, such as cars,
chemicals, electronics and pharmaceuticals,
will continue to be provided for.
Singapore companies will also continue
to enjoy enhanced market access
in the UK for Asian food products made
in Singapore, such as har gow (prawn
dumplings) and sambal ikan bilis (spicy
crispy anchovies). These goods will
enter the UK tariff-free under flexible
rules of origin, up to a combined quota
of 350 tons annually.
Meanwhile, service providers, professionals
and investors will have
enhanced market access, creating a level
playing field for businesses in both
Britain and Singapore. This includes
sector-specific rules on non-discrimination
and transparency.
were characterised by the spread of
broken stone fragments and manufactured
tools.
The authority stated that a huge
amount of new environmental and cultural
information has been collected,
and the results showed that there were
significant changes in the environments,
ranging from very arid to
humid. The current evidence strongly
supports the assertions of the existence
of the "Green Arabian
Peninsula" many times in the past.
During the wet phases of human
civilizations, there were rivers and
lakes throughout the Arabian
Peninsula, which led to the spread and
expansion of these human groups.
This confirms that the Arabian
Peninsula was a major crossroads
between Africa and the rest of Asia
throughout prehistoric times and that
it was one of the places of settlement
in the period of the Stone Ages. It is
believed that the ancient migrations of
these human groups were through two
main passages - the Bab Al-Mandab
Strait and the Sinai Peninsula
Corridor.
Singapore-UK free trade deal kicks
in as Brexit transition period ends
A wide range of services is covered
under the agreement, including architecture,
engineering, management consultancy,
as well as hotel and restaurant
services.
The UK will grant Singapore
enhanced access to city-level and
municipal-level government procurement
opportunities, which means that
firms here can bid for more government
projects in Britain. Companies that are
expected to benefit include those in
transport, financial services and utilities.
The agreement will also do away
with unnecessary technical barriers to
trade for Singapore and British
exporters. For example, it will reduce
duplicative testing, lowering costs for
exporters. Sectors that will benefit
include electronics, motor vehicles and
vehicle parts, and pharmaceuticals.
The FTA also allows Singapore and
Britain to continue enjoying a comprehensive
Intellectual Property Rights
Chapter, which covers copyright,
enforcement and geographical indications.
Beyond the agreement, Singapore
and the UK have committed to start
negotiations for a high standard investment
protection agreement within two
years of the FTA coming into force, and
aim to conclude the negotiations within
four years.
MTI said: "This will ensure that our
bilateral investments will be covered by
robust and up-to-date treaty protections,
and provide our businesses and
investors with the certainty of investment
protection."