Australian State Borders Slam Shut On Sydney As COVID-19 Cluster Grows

SYDNEY, Dec 21 (NNN-AGENCIES) – Australia’s domestic borders have been slammed shut on residents in Sydney, as a COVID-19 outbreak in the city’s north increased by 15 cases to 83 today. Concerns over how far the cluster has spread prompted differing responses by state leaders across the country. The state…

Tropical Depression Leaves Eight Dead, One Missing In Philippines

MANILA, Dec 21 (NNN-PNA) – Floodwaters and landslides, triggered by a tropical depression that battered many areas in the Philippines over the weekend, have left at least eight people dead, two injured and one missing, authorities said today. According to the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC) of…

Tripartite Move To Support Int’l Peace Conference On Palestinian Issue

RAMALLAH, Dec 21 (NNN-WAFA) – A Palestinian official said yesterday that, there is a joint Palestinian-Egyptian-Jordanian move, to support holding an international peace conference to solve the Palestinian-Israeli conflict. The move came, as a result of a consultative meeting, held among foreign ministers of the three countries in Cairo on…

Brazil Reports 408 More Deaths From COVID-19, Including Famous Actress

SAO PAULO, Dec 21 (NNN-CMA) – Brazil’s health ministry, yesterday, reported 408 deaths from COVID-19 in the last 24 hours, bringing the death toll in the country to 186,764. During the same period, another 25,445 cases were registered, bringing the national tally to 7,238,600. Brazil ranks third in the world…

“Monster Hunter” Tops North American Box Office In Opening Weekend

LOS ANGELES, Dec 21 (NNN-AGENCIES) – In another bleak weekend for theatres, amid the COVID-19 pandemic, Sony’s release of “Monster Hunter” took the top spot at the North American box office, with an estimated 2.2-million-U.S.-dollar debut, from 1,736 locations, according to studio figures collected by measurement firm Comscore. Comscore noted…

First Expressway In Laos Inaugurated

VIENTIANE, Dec 21 (NNN-XINHUA) – The Vientiane-Vangvieng section of the China-Laos expressway, the first highway in Laos, constructed by the government and China’s Yunnan Construction and Investment Holding Group (YCIH), was inaugurated yesterday. The opening ceremony was held simultaneously in Vientiane, the capital of Laos, and Kunming of China’s Yunnan…

Roundup: Several European Countries Halt UK Flights Over Fears Of Mutant Virus

LONDON, Dec 21 (NNN-AGENCIES) – A number of European countries, yesterday began to ban flights from Britain, following the emergence of a highly infectious variant of coronavirus. It threw into chaos Christmas plans of hundreds of thousands of people in Britain and Europe, aiming to spend the holidays with families…

India’s COVID-19 Tally Rises To 10,031,223 With 26,624 New Cases

NEW DELHI, Dec 20 (NNN-PTI) – India’s COVID-19 tally rose to 10,031,223 today, as 26,624 new cases were registered during the past 24 hours. According to data, the death toll mounted to 145,477, as 341 more patients died since yesterday morning. There are still 305,344 active cases in the country,…

Online App Helps Protect Palestinian Women From Harassment, Abuse

RAMALLAH, Dec 20 (NNN-WAFA) – A Palestinian foundation, recently launched an online application named Sawa121, to provide more protection for Palestinian women from increasing harassment and abuse, whether verbal or physical, in public places and at work. The application, launched by the Sawa Foundation, concerned with women’s issues, “provides a…

Iraqi PM Warns Of Collapse Of State Without Financial Reform

BAGHDAD, Dec 20 (NNN-NINA) – Iraqi Prime Minister, Mustafa al-Kadhimi, warned of the collapse of social and political systems in Iraq, and overwhelming chaos, if the country does not go through financial reform. Al-Kadhimi made his comments during an extraordinary session of the Iraqi cabinet, to discuss the federal budget…