India Regulates Sugar Exports To Control Prices, Ensure Availability

NEW DELHI, May 25 (NNN-PTI) – India’s federal government, today announced regulation on exports of sugar, in a bid to maintain domestic availability and ensure price stability of sugar in the country. According to an official statement, the federal government decided to cap the export of sugar at 10 million…

Lebanese Currency Sinks To New Record Low

BEIRUT, May 25 (NNN-NNA) – The Lebanese pound, yesterday sank to a new historic low, on the parallel market, amid the country’s unprecedented financial crisis, local media reported. The exchange rate of the Lebanese pound declined to 34,000 against the U.S. dollar, down from the previously record low of 30,000…

Turkey Demands “Written Agreement” To Allow Finnish, Swedish NATO Bids

ANKARA, May 25 (NNN-ANADOLU) – Turkish Foreign Minister, Mevlut Cavusoglu, yesterday, demanded a “written agreement” from Finland and Sweden, on steps to end their “support for terrorism,” if they want to join the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO). Cavusoglu’s remarks came, a day before Turkey will hold consultations with the…

Cambodia Bans Selling, Drinking Alcohol During Upcoming Commune Elections

PHNOM PENH, May 25 (NNN-AKP) – Cambodia’s Ministry of Tourism, yesterday issued a directive, to ban selling and drinking all types of alcohol for two days – a day before and on the commune election day. The move is to help ensure that the commune election, on June 5, is…

Sri Lanka Chooses Two Int’l Firms To Advise On Debt Restructuring

COLOMBO, May 25 (NNN-XINHUA) – Sri Lanka hired two international financial and legal advisors, to help restructure the external debt of the Sri Lankan government, cabinet spokesperson, Bandula Gunawardena, told the media yesterday. He said that, the cabinet of ministers, on Monday, approved hiring an international financial advisory service provider…

Bangladesh’s Largest Padma Bridge To Open To Traffic On June 25

DHAKA, May 25 (NNN-BSS) – Bangladesh’s largest Padma bridge, will open to traffic on June 25, Road Transport and Bridges Minister, Obaidul Quader, said yesterday. The minister made the announcement, after meeting Prime Minister, Sheikh Hasina, in Dhaka. “Our Prime Minister, Sheikh Hasina, will inaugurate the bridge on June 25,…

Earthquake Shakes Afghanistan’s Takhar, Kunduz Provinces

TALUQAN, Afghanistan, May 25 (NNN-ANA) – A relatively powerful earthquake jolted Afghanistan’s Takhar and Kunduz provinces last night, locals said. According to the U.S. Geological Survey, an earthquake with a magnitude of 5.0 jolted 63 km SE of Farkhar district yesterday. “I was sitting in my shop when the tremble…

Aussie state of New South Wales to ban single-use plastic bags

SYDNEY, May 25 (NNN-AGENCIES) – The Australian state of New South Wales (NSW), is gearing up to institute its total ban on single-use plastic bags, as it looks to slowly phase out all single-use packaging in the state. From June 1, all single-use bags would be banned in the state,…

News Analysis: Another Gaza-Israel Conflict “Matter Of Time” Amid High Tensions: Experts

by Sanaa Kamal GAZA, May 25 (NNN-XINHUA) – Despite the relative calm that has prevailed in the region for a year, another round of conflict between the military factions based in the Gaza Strip and Israel is “only a matter of time,” given the current Palestinian-Israeli high tensions, Palestinian political…

Five Turkish Soldiers Killed In Anti-PKK Operation In N. Iraq: Ministry

ANKARA, May 25 (NNN-ANADOLU) – Five Turkish soldiers were killed and two others injured yesterday, in an operation against the outlawed Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK), in northern Iraq, the Turkish defence ministry said. Three soldiers were killed and four wounded in a rocket launch attack by the PKK, in the…