ADB, Sri Lanka Sign Loan Agreement To Support SMEs Affected By COVID-19

COLOMBO, Nov 26 (NNN-SLNEWS) – The Asian Development Bank (ADB) and the Sri Lankan government, signed a 165-million U.S. dollar loan agreement, yesterday to provide immediate financing support for small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) severely affected by the COVID-19 pandemic. This loan agreement will also provide long-term financing to underserved…

Israel Missile Attack Hits Syrian Military Targets

DAMASCUS, Nov 25 (NNN-SANA) – An Israeli missile attack hit military sites in the southern countryside of Damascus last night, causing damage only. Just before midnight, the Israeli missile strike was launched from the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights, a military source was quoted as saying. The exact targets of the strike…

Vietnam Seizes Over 20 Kg Drugs Hidden In Cross-Border Delivery Parcels

HO CHI MINH CITY, Nov 25 (NNN-VNA) – The customs and police forces of Vietnam’s southern Ho Chi Minh City, seized over 20 kg of drugs hidden in cross-border delivery parcels. The drugs, which were seized yesterday, include heroin, ecstasy, marijuana and crystal methamphetamine. They were hidden in carton boxes,…

S. Korea’s Birth-Rate Hits Record-Low In Q3 Over Covid-19

SEOUL, Nov 25 (NNN-YONHAP) – South Korea’s birth-rate hit a record quarterly low, in the third quarter, as the COVID-19 pandemic delayed marriages, statistical office data showed today. The number of new-born babies was 69,105 in the July-Sept quarter, down 6.2 percent from the same quarter of last year, according…

Vietnamese Geo-Park Earns UNESCO Global Status

HANOI, Nov 25 (NNN-VNA) – A geo-park in central highlands Vietnam’s Dak Nong province, officially becomes the third in the country, to join the global geo-parks network of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO), it was reported today. The province’s Dak Nong Geo-park, which received a certificate…

Pacific Workers Flown In To Help Fill Australia’s Agriculture Labour Gap

SYDNEY, Nov 25 (NNN-AGENCIES) – The impact of COVID-19 on overseas travel, left many Australian farmers short-handed during peak harvesting and processing seasons. To help urgently fill the gap, authorities granted special approval for workers from the Pacific Islands to enter Australia and take up roles in the agriculture sector.…

New Zealand Reports Eight New Cases Of COVID-19 In Managed Isolation

WELLINGTON, Nov 25 (NNN-AGENCIES) – New Zealand reported eight new cases of COVID-19 today, all in managed isolation. There are no new community cases. One person arrived on Nov 19, from Finland via Sweden and Qatar, and tested positive at around day 3 of his stay in managed isolation. One…

India’s COVID-19 Tally Reaches 9,222,216

NEW DELHI, Nov 25 (NNN-PTI) – India’s COVID-19 tally reached 9,222,216 today, as 44,376 new cases were registered during the past 24 hours, the latest data from the federal health ministry showed. According to the data, the death toll mounted to 134,699, as 481 COVID-19 patients died, since yesterday morning.…

Over 1,000 Students Paint Pictures Of Brunei, China Jointly Fighting COVID-19

BANDAR SERI BEGAWAN, Nov 25 (NNN-ANN) – Organised by the Chinese Embassy in Brunei and Brunei’s Ministry of Education, the awards presentation and exhibition launching ceremony, of a painting competition themed “Together We Fight the COVID-19” were held here yesterday. A total of 1,022 students from 53 primary schools across…

Nepal’s Trade With China Drops 25 Percent Amid COVID-19 Restrictions

KATHMANDU, Nov 25 (NNN-NEPALNEWS) – Nepal’s trade with China decreased on a year-on-year basis, during the first four months of the current fiscal year that began in mid-July, amid the COVID-19 pandemic, data from Nepal’s Department of Customs showed. The trade declined by over 25 percent to 508 million U.S.…