Extended COVID-19 Lock-Down In Melbourne “Hard And Crushing News”: Aussie PM

CANBERRA, Sept 8 (NNN-AGENCIES) – Australian Prime Minister, Scott Morrison, described the extended COVID-19 lock-down in Melbourne as “crushing,” as the country recorded its lowest single-day increase in about two months. As of Monday afternoon there were 26,322 confirmed cases of COVID-19 in Australia, and the number of new cases…

Reopening Of Thailand’s Resort Island Of Phuket To Foreign Tourists Likely Delayed

BANGKOK, Sept 8 (NNN-TNA) – The Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) told reporters that the launch of the so-called “Phuket model,” scheduled for next month, to welcome back foreign visitors, has a high chance of being pushed back. The remark came, after Thailand witnessed the first COVID-19 case, after making…

Mongolia, World Bank Sign 21 Million USD Financing Agreements

ULAN BATOR, Sept 8 (NNN-MONGOLIAWEB) – Mongolia and the World Bank signed two agreements totalling 21 million U.S. dollars, to mitigate the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the economy and society, and protect medical workers from the virus, Mongolian Finance Minister, Chimed Khurelbaatar said. The agreements were signed by…

Vietnam To Chair Virtual 53rd ASEAN Foreign Ministers’ Meeting

HANOI, Sept 8 (NNN-VNA) – The 53rd Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) Foreign Ministers’ Meeting and related meetings, will take place from tomorrow to Saturday, via video conference, under the chair of Vietnamese Minister of Foreign Affairs, Pham Binh Minh. Some 20 meetings will be organised within the framework…

Myanmar Reports 92 More COVID-19 Cases, 1,610 In Total

YANGON, Sept 8 (NNN-MNA) – Myanmar reported 92 more new COVID-19 cases this morning, according to a release from the Ministry of Health and Sports. The newly confirmed cases brought the number of infection cases of COVID-19 in the country to 1,610 in total. A total of 166,433 tests were…

6.2 Magnitude Quake Rocks Off Eastern Indonesia, No Potential For Tsunami

JAKARTA, Sept 8 (NNN-ANTARA) – An earthquake of 6.2 magnitude, jolted off Indonesia’s eastern Maluku province, early on Tuesday morning (today), but there was no potential for a tsunami, the Agency of Meteorology, Climatology and Geophysics said. The quake struck at 07:45 a.m. Jakarta time (0045 GMT), with the epicentre…

China, Egypt Sign Protocol To Teach Chinese Language In Egyptian Schools

CAIRO, Sept 8 (NNN-MENA) – Egypt and China signed a cooperation protocol, to teach the Chinese language, in pre-university schools in Egypt, as a second optional foreign language. The protocol was signed by the Egyptian Minister of Education and Technical Education, Tarek Shawki, and the Chinese Ambassador to Cairo, Liao…

China Slams U.S. Defence Secretary’s Article On Chinese Army

BEIJING, Sept 8 (NNN-XINHUA) – A Chinese military spokesperson, slammed as unfounded a recent article by U.S. Defence Secretary, Mark Esper, against the Chinese People’s Liberation Army (PLA). The article was full of Cold War mentality and ideological bias, groundlessly misrepresented the PLA, and hyped up the so-called “Chinese military…

Spotlight: COVID-19 Cases Spike In Israel, Renewed Restrictions Unveiled

by Keren Setton JERUSALEM, Sept 8 (NNN-XINHUA) – The death toll in Israel over COVID-19, surpassed 1,000 at the weekend, and the country also has one of the highest daily infection rates, per capita, in the whole world. On Sunday, Israel’s cabinet decided that, a list of forty cities with…

Russian FM Arrives In Damascus

DAMASCUS, Sept 8 (NNN-SANA) – Russian Foreign Minister, Sergey Lavrov, arrived in the Syrian capital, Damascus, yesterday, his first visit to the country since 2012, state TV reported. Also, a Russian delegation, headed by Russia’s Deputy Prime Minister, Yury Borisov, arrived in the country, to hold talks with top Syrian…