Sri Lanka’s Computer Literacy Rose To 38.4 Percent In First Half Of 2025

COLOMBO, Jan 19 (NNN-LNW) – Sri Lanka’s digital skills improved in 2025, with national computer literacy rate rising to 38.4 percent in the first half of the year, the latest survey by the Department of Census and Statistics show. The urban sector posted the highest literacy rate at 52.1 percent,…

Philippine Congress Boosts Army Modernisation Budget To 673 Million USD This Year

MANILA, Jan 19 (NNN-PNA) – The Philippine Congress, allocated 40 billion pesos (673 million U.S. dollars) in capital outlays, for the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) modernisation programme, under the 2026 national budget, a senior lawmaker said, yesterday. House of Representatives Minority Leader, Marcelino Libanan, said, lawmakers also authorised…

Five Killed, 12 Injured In Bus Accident In Eastern Nepal

KATHMANDU, Jan 19 (NNN-XINHUA) – Five people were killed and 12 others injured, in a bus accident in eastern Nepal’s Dharan, in Sunsari district, last night, said a local police officer. The accident took place when a bus, travelling from Bhedetar to Dharan, went out of control and rammed into…

Six Killed, Over 20 Injured In Shopping Mall Fire In Southern Pakistan

ISLAMABAD, Jan 19 (NNN-APP) – At least six people were killed and over 20 others injured, after a fire broke out at a shopping mall in Pakistan’s southern port city of Karachi, late Saturday night, officials said, yesterday. Spokesperson of the southern Sindh province, Sadia Javed, said that, the blaze…

Philippine Landfill Landslide Death Toll Reaches 36 As Last Missing Worker Found

MANILA, Jan 18 (NNN-PNA) – The body of the last remaining missing person in the Jan 8 landfill landslide in the central Philippine city of Cebu was retrieved early today, bringing the total number of victims who perished in the tragedy to 36, the country’s Bureau of Fire Protection (BFP)…

One Person Found When Searching For Missing Aircraft In Indonesia

JAKARTA, Jan 18 (NNN-ANTARA) – Indonesian rescuers found one victim from the crashed ATR 42-500 aircraft, on Mount Bulusaraung in Pangkep regency, South Sulawesi, authorities said, today. The victim was discovered on the mountain slope and was currently being evacuated to the search and rescue (SAR) command post in Tompobulu…

India’s Largest Airline Fined 2.45 Million USD For Mass Flight Cancellations

NEW DELHI, Jan 18 (NNN-PTI) – India’s civil aviation watchdog, imposed a fine of 2.45 million U.S. dollars on IndiGo airline, for its mass flight cancellations last month, officials said, today. The large-scale delays and cancellations took place between Dec 3 and Dec 5, last year, during which IndiGo cancelled…

Flash Flooding Prompts Evacuations In Northern Sydney As Houses Impacted By Landslide

SYDNEY, Jan 18 (NNN-AAP) – A landslide impacted three houses in northern Sydney, as life-threatening flash flooding prompted evacuation orders, last night. Residents of the Narrabeen Lagoon area, in Sydney’s Northern Beaches, around 19 km north of the central business district, were told to evacuate, shortly before 11,00 p.m. local…

Man Seriously Injured After Shooting At Sydney Home

SYDNEY, Jan 18 (NNN-AAP) – Police in Australia’s state of New South Wales (NSW), said in a statement today that, a man had been seriously injured, after he was shot during a public place shooting, in Sydney’s west, overnight. Police said that, emergency services were called to a home in…

Iraq Takes Full Control Of Airbase Following U.S. Withdrawal

BAGHDAD, Jan 18 (NNN-NINA) – The Iraqi Defence Ministry, said yesterday that, the Iraqi army has taken full control of the Ayn al-Asad Airbase, in western Iraq’s Anbar province, following the withdrawal of U.S. troops. A statement issued by the ministry said, Chief of Staff of the Iraqi Army, Abdul…