Lao Central Bank Issues Licenses For Cryptocurrency Exchange Platforms

VIENTIANE, Jan 20 (NNN-KPL) – Lao central bank, the Bank of the Lao PDR (BOL), issued licenses authorising two companies to trade in cryptocurrencies. The companies are the Lao Digital Assets Exchange (LDX), a joint venture between the AIF Group and the Phongsupthavy Group, and Bitqik, a subsidiary of the…

Indonesian Parliament Passes Law To Relocate Capital To Nusantara

JAKARTA, Jan 20 (NNN-ANTARA) – Indonesian lawmakers, on Tuesday, passed a law on the relocation of the nation’s capital to the island of Kalimantan, which the country shares borders with Malaysia and Brunei, from the most populated island of Java. The move is a step forward in one of the…

S.Korea’s Fake Banknotes Hit Record Low In 2021

SEOUL, Jan 20 (NNN-YONHAP) – South Korea’s fake banknotes found in 2021 hit a record low, as the COVID-19 pandemic reduced demand for face-to-face transactions, central bank data showed yesterday. The number of counterfeit banknotes, which were found or reported last year, stood at 176, according to the Bank of…

At Least Six Killed In Suicide Bombing In Somalia

MOGADISHU, Jan 19 (NNN-IRIN) – At least six people were killed and ten others were wounded, in a suicide bombing, in the Somali capital, Mogadishu, yesterday evening, according to the police. The police said, a suicide bomber, wearing explosive vests, wrapped around his waist, blew himself up, at a restaurant…

European Parliament Elects Maltese Roberta Metsola As New President

BRUSSELS, Jan 19 (NNN-AGENCIES) – Maltese lawmaker, Roberta Metsola, was yesterday, elected as president of the European Parliament (EP), the third woman elected to the post. The 43-year-old lawyer by profession, won in a landslide vote. She received an absolute majority of 458 votes, out of 690, cast in the…

ASEAN To Prioritise Fighting Pandemic, Reviving Tourism In 2022: Cambodian PM

PHNOM PENH, Jan 19 (NNN-AKP) – Cambodian Prime Minister, Samdech Techo Hun Sen, said yesterday that, ASEAN’s priority tasks this year are fighting against the COVID-19 and reviving the tourism sector. Hun Sen made the remarks, addressing the opening ceremony of the ASEAN (the Association of Southeast Asian Nations) Tourism…

Two Terrorists Killed In Shootout In NW Pakistan: Army

ISLAMABAD, Jan 19 (NNN-APP) – Two terrorists were killed during an exchange of fire with security forces, in Pakistan’s north-west Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, an army statement said, yesterday. The security forces conducted an intelligence-based operation, on the reported presence of terrorists in North Waziristan tribal district of the province, the…

Three Indian Navy Personnel Killed In Explosion Onboard

NEW DELHI, Jan 19 (NNN-PTI) – Three Indian Navy personnel died, in an explosion that occurred in an internal compartment, onboard the Indian Navy Ship (INS) “Ranvir,” an official statement said yesterday. The mishap occurred at the Naval Dockyard, Mumbai. “The ship’s crew responded immediately and quickly brought the situation…

Indian, UAE FMs Talk Over Phone On Attack In Abu Dhabi

NEW DELHI, Jan 19 (NNN-PTI) – India’s External Affairs Minister, Subrahmanyam Jaishankar, yesterday, held a phone conversation with his United Arab Emirates (UAE) counterpart, Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan, a day after two Indians died, in a drone attack in Abu Dhabi. During the phone conversation, the UAE foreign…

Cross-Border Freight Value Exceeds One Billion Yuan On China-Laos Railway

KUNMING, Jan 19 (NNN-XINHUA) – The newly-opened China-Laos Railway has carried over one billion yuan (about 157.4 million U.S. dollars) worth of international freight, announced Kunming Customs, in south-west China’s Yunnan Province. By last Monday, 153 freight trains had been handled by the customs, with the total freight volume reaching…