Philippines Sees Drop In Firework-Related Injuries During 2025-2026 Holiday Season

MANILA, Jan 1 (NNN-PNA) – The number of firework-related injuries recorded during the Christmas and New Year celebrations in the Philippines dropped by 42 percent, compared with the same period last year, the country’s Department of Health (DOH) said, today. From Dec 21, 2025, to Jan 1, 2026, the DOH…

Pakistan Reported Sharp Decline In Polio Cases Last Year

ISLAMABAD, Jan 1 (NNN-APP) – Pakistan reported a sharp decline in polio cases last year, due to sustained vaccination campaigns and improved disease surveillance, health authorities said. Official data showed polio cases fell from 74 in 2024, to 30 in 2025, with no new cases reported nationwide since Sept. Six…

5.7-Magnitude Earthquake Struck Off Japan’s Iwate Prefecture

TOKYO, Jan 1 (NNN-NHK) – An earthquake, with a preliminary magnitude of 5.7, struck, off Iwate Prefecture, in northern Japan yesterday, the country’s weather agency said. The temblor occurred at 11:27 p.m. local time, off Iwate’s eastern coast, at a depth of about 30 kilometres, measuring 4 on Japan’s seismic…

One Dead, One Missing In Separate Incidents At Eastern Sydney Beaches

SYDNEY, Jan 1 (NNN-AAP) – A woman has drowned and a man has gone missing, while swimming in separate incidents at Sydney beaches, in the early hours of this morning. A police statement said that, emergency services were called to reports that a person had been swept out into the…

Türkiye Grants Visa-Free Entry To Chinese Tourists

ANKARA, Jan 1 (NNN-TRT) – Türkiye has granted visa-free travel to Chinese citizens holding ordinary passports, for tourism and transit, according to a presidential decree published in the Official Gazette, yesterday. Under the new regulations, signed by Turkish President, Tayyip Erdogan, Chinese travellers will be exempt from visa requirements for…

Abbas Says Building Independent Palestinian State “Inevitable Reality”

RAMALLAH, Jan 1 (NNN-WAFA) – Palestinian President, Mahmoud Abbas, said yesterday that, the establishment of an independent Palestinian state is “an inevitable reality,” affirming that, Palestinians are moving steadily towards freedom and independence. In a statement, Abbas stressed the realisation of a fully sovereign Palestinian state, with East Jerusalem as…

Indonesia Raises Alert Level For Mount Bur Ni Telong In Aceh

JAKARTA, Jan 1 (NNN-ANTARA) – Indonesian authorities, have raised the alert level for Mount Bur Ni Telong volcano, in Aceh province, to Level III, the centre said yesterday. Lana Saria, the acting head of the Geological Agency of the Ministry of Energy and Mineral Resources, said, seismic activity around Mount…

Over 600,000 Vulnerable Citizens In Afghanistan Received Financial Aid Last Year

KABUL, Jan 1 (NNN-BNA) – The Afghan government has provided financial and other forms of support, to more than 600,000 orphans, widows, and people with disabilities, across the country over the past year, Afghan government spokesman, Zabihullah Mujahid, said, yesterday. A monthly allowance of 2,000 Afghanis has been allocated to…

Iran Open To “Genuine, Serious” Talks With U.S.: FM

TEHRAN, Jan 1 (NNN-IRNA) – Though it does not fear war, Iran “has never sought a conflict” with the United States, and is open to “genuine and serious” negotiations, Iranian Foreign Minister, Seyed Abbas Araghchi, said. He made the remarks on X, a day after U.S. President, Donald Trump, threatened…

Artificial Carpet Manufacturing Factory Opens In Balkh Province, Northern Afghanistan

KABUL, Dec 31 (NNN-BNA) – An artificial carpet manufacturing factory, has been inaugurated in Mazar-i-Sharif, the capital of northern Afghanistan’s Balkh province, with an investment of nearly one million U.S. dollars, it was officially reported, today. According to the report, the newly established factory is expected to contribute to local…