Sri Lanka Records 82,327 Tourist Arrivals In Jan Despite Pandemic

COLOMBO, Feb 2 (NNN-XINHUA) – Sri Lanka received 82,327 tourists in Jan, 2022, compared to 1,682 arrivals in the same month last year, data from the Sri Lanka Tourism Development Authority (SLTDA) showed, today. Provisional data from the SLTDA showed that Sri Lanka started the new year with 82,327 arrivals…

India’s Daily COVID-19 Cases Fall To 161,386, Deaths Continue To Rise

NEW DELHI, Feb 2 (NNN-PTI) – India’s COVID-19 tally rose to 41,630,885 today, as 161,386 new cases were registered during the past 24 hours across the country, the federal health ministry’s latest data showed. Besides, 1,733 deaths from the pandemic since yesterday morning took the total death toll to 497,975.…

Sri Lanka’s National Industrial Exhibition Expected To Create Investment Opportunities

COLOMBO, Feb 2 (NNN-XINHUA) – Sri Lanka’s National Industrial Exhibition, which will open tomorrow, is expected to create investment opportunities, state media reported today. Organised by Sri Lanka’s Industrial Development Board, the exhibition at the Bandaranaike Memorial International Conference Hall in Colombo, will feature over 300 stalls representing 20 fields…

Australian Gov’t Announces New Funding To Counter Violent Extremism

CANBERRA, Feb 2 (NNN-AGENCIES) – The Australian government has committed new funding to prevent the rise of violent extremism. Home Affairs Minister, Karen Andrews, today announced a 61.7 million-Australian dollar (43.9 million-U.S. dollar) funding boost, for countering violent extremism (CVE) programmes. Andrews said in a statement that, the new funding…

New Zealand’s Unemployment Rate Remains Low At 3.2 Percent

WELLINGTON, Feb 2 (NNN-AGENCIES) – New Zealand’s unemployment rate reached 3.2 percent in the Dec, 2021 quarter, while the underutilisation rate stayed at 9.2 percent, the country’s statistics department, Stats NZ, said today. The unemployment rate remained low in the last quarter of 2021, down to 3.2 percent, from 3.3…

Palestine Reports Daily Record Of 11,016 New COVID-19 Cases

RAMALLAH/GAZA, Feb 2 (NNN-WAFA) – Palestine reported a record number of 11,016 new COVID-19 cases and 12 more fatalities, in the Palestinian territories within the past 24 hours, a senior official said yesterday. Among the 12 fatalities, four were recorded in three West Bank cities, including a two-month-old infant, from…

Malaysia Reports 5,566 New COVID-19 Infections, Seven New Deaths

KUALA LUMPUR, Feb 2 (NNN-BERNAMA) – Malaysia reported 5,566 new COVID-19 infections as of midnight, bringing the national total to 2,876,324, according to the Health Ministry. There are 227 new imported cases, with 5,339 being local transmissions, data released on the ministry’s website showed. A further seven deaths have been…

Tonga To Impose Nationwide Lockdown After Port Workers Test Positive For COVID-19

SUVA, Feb 2 (NNN-PIN) – Tsunami-hit Tonga will go into a nationwide lockdown today, after two port workers in the South Pacific island nation tested positive for COVID-19 yesterday. According to Tonga’s news website, Matangi Tonga Online, Tongan Prime Minister, Siaosi Sovaleni, told a press conference last night that, Tonga…

Japan’s Job Availability Drops For Third Year In 2021 Amid COVID-19

TOKYO, Feb 2 (NNN-NHK) – The ratio of job availability in Japan declined for the third straight year in 2021, amid the COVID-19 pandemic, which prompted companies to provide fewer job openings, government statistics showed, yesterday. According to the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare, the figure stood at 1.13,…

S.Korea’s Daily COVID-19 Cases Hit Record High Of Over 18,000

SEOUL, Feb 2 (NNN-YONHAP) – South Korea’s daily number of COVID-19 cases hit a new record high, surpassing 18,000, amid spread of the Omicron variant of the virus, the health authorities said. According to the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA), the country recorded 18,343 more cases of COVID-19…