India Announces 22-Billion-USD Package For Virus-Hit Farm Sector

by Pankaj Yadav NEW DELHI, May 16 (NNN-XINHUA) — Indian Finance Minister, Nirmala Sitharaman, announced 11 measures worth 163,343 crore Indian Rupees (nearly 21.8 billion U.S. dollars), to support the agriculture and allied activities like fisheries, dairy farming, milk production, animal husbandry and food processing. The funds would help those…

Tokyo Sets Road-map For Easing Of COVID-19 Restrictions

TOKYO, May 16 (NNN-NHK) – Tokyo Governor, Yuriko Koike, released a road-map for the easing of restrictions in the capital, put in place in the wake of the COVID-19 outbreak, with the criteria coming on the heels of a nationwide state of emergency being widely lifted the previous day. The…

Turkish Police Seize Valuable Historical Artefacts In Istanbul’s Auction House

ISTANBUL, May 14 (NNN-ANADOLU) – Turkish police, on Wednesday, seized several valuable historical artefacts, at an operation in an auction house in central Istanbul, local media reported. Police teams captured a total of 78 artefacts that belonged to the Seljuk, Ottoman, and Safavid eras in the auction house, at the…

Foreign Investors Can Apply For 5-Year Residency In Iran Soon

TEHRAN, May 14 (NNN-IRNA) – Foreign investors would soon be able to apply for a five-year residency in Iran, based on regulations approved by the government last summer, Press TV reported, quoting the Iranian deputy interior minister as saying on Wednesday. Application forms would be available in three languages through…

19 Members Of Egyptian Medical Team At Matariya Hospital Test Positive For COVID-19

CAIRO, May 14 (NNN-MENA) – The General Authority for Educational Hospitals and Institutes in Egypt, announced that, 19 members of a medical care team in Matariya Educational Hospital, tested positive for COVID-19.    The authority said that the 19 positive cases were out of 54 samples taken from the medical…

Egypt To Bring Home Over 16,000 Nationals Stranded Abroad Amid COVID-19: PM

CAIRO, May 14 (NNN-MENA) – Egyptian Prime Minister, Mostafa Madbouly, said that, the authorities will bring home more than 16,000 nationals stranded abroad, in the wake of the COVID-19 outbreak. The flights, quarantine and the medical tests from May 3 to May 9, cost the government 28 million Egyptian pounds…

Lebanon To Tighten Border Policing To Stop Smuggling Towards Syria

BEIRUT, May 14 (NNN-NNA) – Lebanon’s Higher Defence Council, will increase the number of police stations along the borders with Syria, to stop cross-border smuggling that caused huge losses to the government’s revenues, according to a statement issued by the Lebanese Presidency on Wednesday. The council will also hire patrol…

Turkey’s COVID-19 Cases Surpass 143,000 As Iran’s Tally Exceeds 112,000

CAIRO, May 14 (NNN-XINHUA) – Turkey’s COVID-19 cases on Wednesday exceeded 143,000, while the tally in Iran crossed 112,000. The total number of COVID-19 cases in Turkey, the hardest-hit country in the Middle East, rose to 143,114, while the death toll surged to 3,952 on Wednesday. Turkey on Wednesday confirmed…

New Zealand Reports No New COVID-19 Cases For Three Consecutive Days

WELLINGTON, May 14 (NNN-XINHUA) – New Zealand reported no new COVID-19 cases for three consecutive days today, as the country moved down to Alert Level 2 Wednesday midnight, to restart the economy. The combined total of confirmed and probable cases remains at 1,497, of which 1,147 are confirmed, the Ministry…

Singapore Reports 675 COVID-19 Cases

SINGAPORE, May 14 (NNN-CNA) – Singapore’s Ministry of Health (MOH) reported 675 new COVID-19 cases on Wednesday, bringing the total confirmed cases in the country to 25,346. Of the newly confirmed cases, four were cases in the community, two were work permit holders, residing outside dormitories, and 671 were work…