Urgent Action Needed For 600 Million South Asian Children Threatened By COVID-19: UNICEF

UNITED NATIONS, June 24 (NNN-XINHUA) – The COVID-19 pandemic is unravelling decades of health, education and other advances for children across South Asia, and governments must take urgent action to prevent millions of families from slipping back into poverty, UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF) said in a news report released yesterday.…

Pakistan Demands India Reduce 50 Pct Of Diplomatic Staff

ISLAMABAD, June 24 (NNN-APP) – Pakistan demanded India reduce staff of the Indian High Commission in Islamabad by 50 percent, in a tit-for-tat action, hours after a similar decision by the Indian government. Pakistan and India had been involved in a diplomatic row in recent days, over what both sides…

Iran’s Police Dismantle Three Int’l Illicit Drug Bands In Tehran

TEHRAN, June 23 (NNN-IRNA) – Three international drug trafficking gangs were disbanded, in Iran’s capital city of Tehran, Police Commander, Hossein Rahimi, said on Monday. In the police operation, over 1,000 kg of narcotics were seized, and 27 illicit drug traffickers were arrested, Rahimi was quoted as saying. Rahimi said…

Jordan, Netherlands Reaffirm Rejection To Israeli Plan To Annex Palestinian Lands

AMMAN, June 23 (NNN-PETRA) – Jordan and the Netherlands, on Monday, reaffirmed their rejection to Israel’s plan to annex Palestinian territories, according to the Jordanian foreign ministry. The remarks were made during a phone call between Jordanian Foreign Minister Ayman Safadi, and his Dutch counterpart, Stef Blok. They examined the…

Rocket Lands Near Baghdad Airport, No Casualty: Iraqi Military

BAGHDAD, June 23 (NNN-NINA) – A Katyusha rocket landed near Baghdad International Airport on Monday, without causing casualty, the Iraqi military said. The attack took place in the evening, when unknown militants fired the rocket from a village in Abu Ghraib in western Baghdad, the media office of the Iraqi…

30 Killed As Fighting Continues Between Gov’t Forces, Houthis In Central Yemen

ADEN, June 23 (NNN-SABA) – Nearly 30 people were killed on Monday, as fighting continues intensively between Yemen’s government forces and the Houthi militia in the country’s central province of al-Bayda. “Battles intensified after the Houthi militia carried out new attacks on positions of the government forces in Qaniya, north…

Jordan Launches 6.6-Billion-USD Plan For Syrian Refugee Crisis

AMMAN, June 23 (NNN-PETRA) – Jordan, on Monday, launched the 2020-2022 Jordan Response Platform (JRP), for the Syrian refugee crisis, with a total budget of 6.6 billion U.S. dollars. JRP aims to meet the needs to mitigate the impact of hosting Syrian refugees, and support host communities and institutional capacity…

Saudi Arabia To Limit Number Of Hajj Pilgrims Over COVID-19 Concerns

RIYADH, June 23 (NNN-SPA) – Saudi Arabia announced on Monday, that, only a limited number of pilgrims will be allowed to perform the Hajj in the kingdom this season, over the COVID-19 concerns. The decision was made, given the increase in the number of cases in most countries, and the…

Turkey Imposes Fines For Not Wearing Face Masks To Curb COVID-19 Spread

ANKARA, June 23 (NNN-ANADOLU) – Turkey, on Monday, started to impose fines of up to 900 liras (131 U.S. dollars), on those who don’t wear face masks in public places, as part of the measures to curb the spread of COVID-19. The measure came, after a slight increase in new…

Outbreak In Aussie State Derails Domestic Travel Hopes

SYDNEY, June 23 (NNN-AGENCIES) – A spike in new COVID-19 cases in the Australian State of Victoria, cast doubt over hopes for a resurgence in domestic travel, which would greatly help struggling tourism operators. More than 70 new cases recorded in Victoria since last week, left authorities in other states…