India Flight-Tests Two Pinaka Missiles In Salvo Mode

NEW DELHI, Dec 21 (NNN-PTI) – India successfully carried out flight trials of Pinaka missile system Friday, in the eastern state of Odisha, officials said. The tests were carried out by Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO), from the Integrated Test Range (ITR), off Chandipur coast, in Balasore district, about…

Kazakhstan Set To Abolish Death Penalty

NUR-SULTAN, Dec 21 (NNN-RIA) – President of Kazakhstan, Kassym-Jomart Tokayev, said, he ordered procedures, to abolish the death penalty in the country. Tokayev made the remarks, at the second meeting of the National Council of Public Trust, held in the capital, Nur-Sultan. The council, comprising prominent social activists, deputies of…

60,907 Firearms Removed As Next Stage Gun Control Begins In New Zealand

WELLINGTON, Dec 21 (NNN-AGENCIES) – The six-month firearms buyback and amnesty was officially over, with around 60,907 prohibited firearms removed from circulation, said New Zealand Minister of Police, Stuart Nash, today (Saturday). The objective of gun buyback and amnesty was to make New Zealand a safer place. Assault rifles, high-capacity…

Second Person Died In Catastrophic South Australian Bush-fires

CANBERRA, Dec 21 (NNN-AGENCIES) – One more person died and many houses destroyed in bush-fires in South Australia (SA). About 200 fires broke out across the state in catastrophic conditions on Friday, as temperatures soared to 40 degrees Celsius. Authorities on Friday night confirmed that another person died in a…

Japan’s Cabinet Approves Record 938 Billion USD Draft FY 2020 Budget

TOKYO, Dec 21 (NNN-NHK) – The Cabinet of Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, approved a draft budget for fiscal 2020, aimed at covering ballooning social security costs, amid a rapidly ageing society and dealing with the fallout from a consumption tax hike, that has seen private and public consumption wane. The…

Russia Has No Desire To Rejoin G7: Diplomat

MOSCOW, Dec 21 (NNN-TASS) – Moscow no longer wishes to rejoin the Group of Seven (G7), as it has other priorities, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister, Sergei Ryabkov, said. There are other platforms where serious issues are being addressed, including the G20, formats for Eurasian integration and the BRICS (Brazil, Russia,…

Strong Earthquake Hits Afghanistan, Pakistan, No Casualties Reported So Far

KABUL/ISLAMABAD, Dec 21 (NNN-APP) – A strong earthquake struck Afghanistan and Pakistan on Friday, but no casualties have been reported so far. The earthquake hit a number of provinces in northern and eastern Afghanistan, and could be felt in the capital Kabul. According to the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), the…

Japan’s Abe, Iran’s Rouhani Discuss Tensions In Middle East

TOKYO, Dec 21 (NNN-XINHUA) – Japanese Prime Minister, Shinzo Abe, held talks with Iranian President, Hassan Rouhani, amid tensions in the Middle East. Rouhani, on a two-day trip to Japan, marking the first for an Iranian president since 2000, heard from Abe about his concerns about rising tension in the…

Turkey Intercepts 59,712 Illegal Migrants In 2019

ISTANBUL, Dec 21 (NNN-ANADOLU) – The Turkish coast guard caught a total of 59,712 illegal migrants, trying to reach Europe via Turkey this year, the force unveiled. The Aegean Sea remains the main route for illegal migrants, as 59,455 of them attempted to sneak into Greece with inflatable boats, according…

13 Syrian Soldiers Killed In Daesh Gas Field Attack

DAMASCUS, Dec 21 (NNN-SANA) – Daesh militants attacked a gas field in central Syria’s Homs province, killing 13 Syrian soldiers, a war monitor reported. The Daesh militants launched the attack on Thursday night, on the gas field in the desert region, in the eastern countryside of Homs, killing 13 soldiers…