Number Of Drowning Deaths Down In New Zealand

WELLINGTON, Jan 5 (NNN-RNZ) – New Zealand recorded a total of 71 preventable drownings in 2024, down from 90 in 2023, which was well below the 10-year average of 83, according to Water Safety New Zealand, yesterday. Last year marked the lowest total since 2018, which saw 66 cases of…

Sri Lanka’s Navy Arrested Three For Smuggling 11.3 Kg Of Gold

COLOMBO, Jan 5 (NNN-XINHUA) – The Sri Lankan Navy arrested three persons, who were smuggling about 11.3 kg of gold out of the country, via a boat yesterday, the navy said in a press statement. The navy said, the arrest was made in the sea off Kalpitiya, in Sri Lanka’s…

Heavy Snowfalls Block Multiple Highways In Afghanistan

KABUL, Jan 5 (NNN-BNA) – Multiple highways in Afghanistan, including Salang, the main highway linking the country’s national capital, Kabul, to nine northern provinces, were inaccessible to traffic, due to heavy snowfalls, an official at the Ministry of Public Work said. “Salang highway has been blocked due to severe snowfalls,…

Four Dead, Two Injured In Van Crash In Southern Philippines

MANILA, Jan 5 (NNN-PNA) – Four people were killed and two others injured, after two vans collided in the southern Philippine city of Davao, yesterday, local police said. Footage from a surveillance camera around the accident area, showed a southbound grey van, losing control, swerving to the opposite lane, and…

Egypt, Lebanon Urge Non-Interference In Syria’s Transition

CAIRO, Jan 5 (NNN-MENA) – Egyptian Foreign Minister, Badr Abdelatty, held phone talks yesterday, with his Lebanese counterpart, Abdallah Bou Habib, during which they urged a political transition in Syria, free from foreign interference. The two ministers emphasised the importance of supporting the will of the Syrian people, preserving Syria’s…

UNIFIL Accuses Israel Of Destroying Its Property, Lebanese Army Infrastructure In S. Lebanon

BEIRUT, Jan 5 (NNN-NNA) – The United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL), yesterday, accused the Israeli Defence Forces (IDF), of destroying its property and a Lebanese army’s infrastructure in southern Lebanon. “This (yesterday) morning, peacekeepers observed an IDF bulldozer destroying a blue barrel, marking the line of withdrawal between…

226 Residents Relocated Due To Flood In Maldives’ Malé

MALÉ, Jan 5 (NNN-PSM) – A total of 226 residents from 36 households, in the Maldivian capital, Malé, have been relocated to temporary shelters, due to a severe flood, caused by continuous rainfalls, the Maldivian National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA), was quoted as saying. The flooding has caused damage to…

Four Killed, 32 Injured In Explosion In SW Pakistan

ISLAMABAD, Jan 5 (NNN-APP) – At least four people were killed and 32 others injured, in an explosion in Pakistan’s south-western Balochistan province yesterday, local media and officials said. The incident happened in Turbat district of the province, where a convoy was attacked and a bus in it was struck…

Sri Lanka Holds Jewellery Exhibition To Promote Exports

COLOMBO, Jan 5 (NNN-XINHUA) – Sri Lankan President, Anura Kumara Dissanayake, yesterday, inaugurated an international gem and jewellery exhibition. The event aimed to create business opportunities for traders, exporters and industry professionals, with a goal of promoting gem and jewellery exports, according to a statement from the President’s Media Division.…

China’s Largest Offshore Solar-Hydrogen Farm Starts Operation

BEIJING, Jan 5 (NNN-XINHUA) – A large integrated solar-hydrogen farm, located in the tidal flat area of eastern China, has officially commenced operations, according to its owner, Guohua Energy Investment Co., Ltd., under the CHN Energy Investment Group (CHN Energy). The largest of its kind in China, the energy farm…