Yen Slides Towards Potential Intervention Zone Despite BOJ Rate Hike

TOKYO, Dec 20 (NNN-NHK) — The yen weakened to a roughly one-month low in the 157 range per dollar late yesterday, nearing levels that could trigger official buying, after the Bank of Japan (BOJ) raised benchmark interest rates without offering clear plans for future hikes. The yen fell sharply against…

Australia Funds New Robotic Floats To Boost Global Ocean, Climate Data

MELBOURNE, Dec 20 (NNN-AAP) – Australia is expanding its role in global ocean monitoring, with the deployment of 12 new robotic biogeochemical (BGC) Argo floats, the University of Tasmania (UTAS), said, yesterday. The project strengthens Australia’s contribution to the global Argo network of around 4,000 robotic floats, which has been…

Malaysia Unveils Solar Programme To Power Energy Transition

KUALA LUMPUR, Dec 20 (NNN-BERNAMA) – The Malaysian government will implement the Solar Accelerated Transition Action Programme (Solar ATAP), effective on Jan 1, next year, to optimise building rooftops for renewable energy generation. The Ministry of Energy Transition and Water Transformation, said in a statement yesterday that, this initiative aligns…

At Least Five More Palestinians Murdered By Israeli Soldiers In Gaza City: Civil Defence

GAZA, Dec 20 (NNN-WAFA) – At least five more Palestinians were murdered and several others were injured, last night, in an Israeli artillery strike on a school for displaced people, in the Tuffah neighbourhood, east of Gaza City, Gaza’s Civil Defence said. Mahmoud Basal, the Civil Defence spokesman, said, the…

Urgent: U.S. Forces Strikes Target Daesh Positions In Syria

DAMASCUS, Dec 20 (NNN-SANA) – U.S. forces, launched missiles from their bases in the countryside of Deir al-Zour, towards Daesh positions in desert areas, in eastern and northern Syria, after midnight, it was reported today.– NNN-SANA  

Philippines Posted 225 Million USD BoP Deficit In Nov

MANILA, Dec 20 (NNN-PNA) – The Philippines’ balance of payments (BoP), which accounts for the country’s transactions with the rest of the world, registered a deficit of 225 million U.S. dollars in Nov this year, the Philippine central bank said, yesterday. For the Jan-Nov period, the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas…

Sri Lanka Parliament Approved 500-Billion-Rupee Supplementary Budget For Disaster Recovery

COLOMBO, Dec 20 (NNN-LNW) – Sri Lanka’s parliament, yesterday, approved a supplementary estimate of 500 billion rupees (about 1.61 billion U.S. dollars), to restore livelihoods and rebuild infrastructure damaged by a recent disaster. The parliament said in a press release that, the supplementary estimate was passed without a vote. President…

Cultural, Creative Industry Contributes 6.8 Percent To Malaysia’s GDP In 2024

KUALA LUMPUR, Dec 19 (NNN-BERNAMA) – The cultural and creative industry, contributed 6.8 percent to Malaysia’s gross domestic product (GDP), fuelling 130.7 billion ringgit (31.97 billion U.S. dollars) in 2024, according to official data. The Department of Statistics Malaysia (DOSM), said in a statement, yesterday that, the cultural and creative…

New Zealand Fruit Exports Surged On Chinese Demand

WELLINGTON, Dec 19 (NNN-RNZ) – New Zealand’s fruit exports rose 28 percent to 6.1 billion NZ dollars (3.52 billion U.S. dollars) in the year ended Nov, 2025, buoyed by strong Chinese demand for gold kiwifruit and apples, Stats NZ reported, today. This marked the second time that New Zealand’s fruit…

Japanese Gov’t Estimates 18,000 Could Die In Major Earthquake In Tokyo Metropolitan Area In Next Decades

TOKYO, Dec 19 (NNN-NHK) – A powerful earthquake, that has a high chance of occurring beneath Tokyo and nearby areas, within the next few decades, could kill up to 18,000 people, according to the damage estimates, released by the government today. The latest figure, made under the scenario of a…