Naomi Osaka Captures 2nd U.S. Open Title

NEW YORK, Sept 13 (NNN-AGENCIES) – Naomi Osaka came back to defeat Victoria Azarenka 1-6, 6-3, 6-3 on Saturday, in the women’s U.S. Open final, which was played in front of a mostly-empty Arthur Ashe stadium, in Queens, New York. The win marks Osaka’s second U.S. Open crown, and it…

Palestine Says U.S. Pressurises Arab Countries Into Normalising Ties With Israel

RAMALLAH, Sept 13 (NNN-WAFA) – A Palestine official, accused the U.S. of pressurising Arab countries into normalising relations with Israel. “Washington exploits its political and economic power, to force Arab countries to normalise ties with Israel,” said Hanan Ashrawi, a member of the Palestine Liberation Organisation (PLO) Executive Committee. “The…

Weddings On Boats, Outdoor Concerts, Festivals Banned In Istanbul To Curb COVID-19

ISTANBUL, Sept 13 (NNN-ANADOLU) – Turkey’s biggest city, Istanbul, yesterday, banned weddings and related ceremonies on boats, on the Bosphorus Strait, as well as, suspended all outdoor concerts and festivals over rising COVID-19 cases. Istanbul governor’s office said, the decision was taken to better manage the risk of the pandemic,…

Iran Denies Meddling In U.S. Presidential Campaigns

TEHRAN, Sept 12 (NNN-IRNA) – Iran’s Foreign Ministry, on Friday, denied that the Islamic republic is meddling in the U.S. upcoming presidential election. “The United States is leading active misinformation campaigns against other countries,” Iranian Foreign Ministry Spokesman, Saeed Khatibzadeh, said. “The U.S. has interfered for decades in the elections…

Hamas, Islamic Jihad Slam Bahrain’s Normalisation Agreement With Israel

GAZA, Sept 12 (NNN-WAFA) – The Hamas movement and the Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ), slammed the fresh U.S.-sponsored normalisation agreement between Israel and Bahrain. Hazem Qassem, Hamas spokesman in Gaza, said that, the wave of Arab countries’ normalisation with Israel is part of the implementation of the provisions of the…

Jordan Says Ending Israeli Occupation, “Key” To Peace In Mideast

AMMAN, Sept 12 (NNN-PETRA) – Jordan said, ending the Israeli occupation and resolving Palestinian-Israeli conflict, based on the two-state solution, play the key role in realising peace in the Middle East. Jordanian Foreign Minister, Ayman Safadi, made the remarks after the normalisation of ties between Israel and Bahrain was announced.…

India’s COVID-19 Tally Continues To Peak With 97,570 New Cases Reported

NEW DELHI, Sept 12 (NNN-UNI) – India’s COVID-19 tally continues to peak today, as 97,570 new cases were detected during the past 24 hours, taking the total to 4,659,984, said the federal health ministry. Besides, 1,201 more deaths were recorded, taking the death toll to 77,472, according to the data.…

Bhutan Ends Lock-Down, To Reopen Education Institutions Next Week

THIMPHU, Sept 12 (NNN-XINHUA) – The government of Bhutan announced that, schooling for students of classes X and XII will resume from Monday. For students in IX and XI grades, the campus will be opened from Sept 21, Prime Minister, Lotay Tshering, announced, while students in high-risk areas will be…

Thailand’s Cross-Border Commerce Drops 8.5 Percent Over Border Closure

BANGKOK, Sept 12 (NNN-TNA) – Thailand’s Ministry of Commerce, yesterday reported that, the country’s cross-border trade fell 8.5 percent year-on-year, in the first seven months, mostly due to the closure of border checkpoints amid COVID-19. Overall cross-border trade, including transit trade, totalled 741 billion baht (23.68 billion U.S. dollars), from…

New Zealand Reports Two Community Cases Of COVID-19

WELLINGTON, Sept 12 (NNN-AGENCIES) – New Zealand reported two community cases of COVID-19 today, said the Ministry of Health. Both new cases were epidemiologically linked to the existing cluster in west Auckland, said the ministry. With today’s two new cases and eight additional recovered cases, the total number of active…