U.S. Senate Confirms John Ratcliffe As CIA Director

WASHINGTON, Jan 24 (NNN-XINHUA) — U.S. Senate, yesterday, voted to confirm former director of national intelligence, John Ratcliffe, as the next Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) director, under President Donald Trump. The upper chamber voted 74-25 to approve the nomination of Ratcliffe, who served as Trump’s director of national intelligence for…

AES Confederation Passport To Circulate Next Week

NIAMEY, Jan 24 (NNN-IRIN) – Assimi Goita, president of the Alliance of Sahel States (AES), announced in a statement yesterday, the launch of the AES confederation passport, set to be issued in Burkina Faso, Mali, and Niger starting Jan 29. While old passports will remain valid until their expiration dates,…

Belarus Sees 27.15 Percent Turnout After Three Days Of Presidential Early Voting

MINSK, Jan 24 (NNN-BelTA) – The Belarusian Central Election Commission (CEC), said yesterday, 27.15 percent of eligible voters have cast their ballots, after three days of early voting in the presidential elections. The turnout in the Brest region stood at 30.66 percent, 27.47 percent in the Vitebsk region, 25.99 percent…

Kazakhstan Renovates Passenger Railroad Cars By 50 Percent In Past Decade

ALMATY, Jan 24 (NNN-KNA) – Kazakhstan Temir Zholy, the national railway company, upgraded over 50 percent of its passenger railroad cars over the past decade, it was reported yesterday. The company currently operates a fleet of 2,717 railroad cars, including 1,951 passenger cars and 220 freight, technical, and dining cars.…

UAE, U.S. Officials Discussed Strategic Ties Over Phone

ABU DHABI, Jan 24 (NNN-WAM) – Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan, deputy prime minister and minister of foreign affairs of the United Arab Emirates (UAE), held a phone conversation yesterday, with U.S. Secretary of State, Marco Rubio, on strategic ties between the two countries. Sheikh Abdullah “expressed his eagerness…

Hungary Ready To Supply Gas To Slovakia

BUDAPEST, Jan 24 (NNN-XINHUA) – Hungary is prepared to provide its full transit capacities, to supply Slovakia with gas, via the southern TurkStream pipeline, Hungarian Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade, Peter Szijjarto, said here yesterday. It is Hungary’s sovereign right to decide about its energy sources and routes, rejecting…

Uganda, China Hold Symposium To Boost Tourism, Cultural Exchange

KAMPALA, Jan 24 (NNN-IRIN) – Uganda and China hosted a one-day symposium in Kampala, the country’s capital, to promote tourism development and cultural exchange between the two sides. The inaugural Uganda-China Tourism and Cultural Symposium, held on Tuesday, under the theme “Bridging Cultures, Enhancing Cooperation: Unlocking Uganda-China Tourism Potential,” brought…

Magnitude 6.1 Earthquake Hit Southern Philippines

MANILA, Jan 23 (NNN-PNA) – An earthquake with a preliminary magnitude of 6.1, struck Zamboanga del Norte province, in the southern Philippines this morning, the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology reported. The institute said, the quake, which occurred at 11:41 a.m. local time, hit at a depth of 32…

Indonesia Announces New Export Revenue Policy To Strengthen Domestic Banking Sector

JAKARTA, Jan 23 (NNN-ANTARA) – Indonesian President, Prabowo Subianto, announced a new policy, requiring exporters to deposit their export proceeds in domestic banks. The regulation aims to strengthen Indonesia’s financial system and ensure that export revenues benefit the national economy. Speaking at a plenary cabinet session, at the Presidential Office…

Sri Lankan President Sets Limits On Expenses Of Staff, Vehicles, Ministers

COLOMBO, Jan 23 (NNN-XINHUA) – The office of Sri Lankan President, Anura Kumara Dissanayake, issued new guidelines to ministers and deputy ministers, capping the size of their staff, vehicle use, and other expenses, in a bid to reduce government spending. The instructions, issued on Jan 21, were released to the…