Mongolia’s Central Bank Purchases Over 16 Tonnes Of Gold In 11 Months

ULAN BATOR, Dec 8 (NNN-APA) – Mongolia’s central bank said today, it has purchased a total of 16.1 tonnes of gold in the first 11 months of this year from legal entities and individuals. As of Nov, the Bank of Mongolia’s average gold purchase price had been 219,514.35 Mongolian tugriks…

Explosions Heard Near U.S. Embassy In Baghdad – Media

BAGHDAD, Dec 8 (NNN-NINA) – Some 12 rockets landed today, near the U.S. Embassy in the heavily fortified Green Zone in central Baghdad, capital of Iraq, an Iraqi Interior Ministry source said. The attack took place before dawn, when the rockets landed in the vicinity of the embassy in the…

Indonesia To Grant Visa-Free For Tourists From 20 Countries

JAKARTA, Dec 8 (NNN-ANTARA) – The Indonesian government will impose a visa-free policy for tourists from 20 countries and regions, including China, in an attempt to attract more foreign visitors, the country’s Tourism and Creative Economy Minister, Sandiaga Uno, said, yesterday. “The free-visa policy has been based on some considerations,…

Catastrophic Bushfire Danger Warning Issued For South Australian Districts

CANBERRA, Dec 8 (NNN-AAP) – Local authorities have declared a catastrophic fire danger warning, for much of South Australia (SA), amid severe weather conditions. The SA branch of the Country Fire Service (CFS), a volunteer service that has responsibility for firefighting in the state’s regional areas, today warned, the southern…

Japan’s Top Gov’t Spokesperson Allegedly Receives 10 Million Yen In Kickback: Media

TOKYO, Dec 8 (NNN-XINHUA) – Japan’s Chief Cabinet Secretary, Hirokazu Matsuno, Japan’s top government spokesperson, is alleged to have received more than 10 million yen (about 70,000 U.S. dollars) in a kickback, local media reported today, as the ruling party’s funds scandal escalates. Matsuno, a member of the ruling Liberal…

New Zealand Central Bank Warns Of Fake Notes

WELLINGTON, Dec 8 (NNN-RNZ) – The Reserve Bank of New Zealand (RBNZ), has reminded retailers, to train new cash handlers, on fake note detection. New Zealand has a very low rate of counterfeiting, due to the multiple security features which can be checked easily, Graeme Denny, RBNZ senior manager of…

ADB Approves 200-Mln-USD Loan To Boost Philippine Infrastructure Projects

MANILA, Dec 8 (NNN-PNA) – The Asian Development Bank (ADB), today said, it has approved a loan of 200 million U.S. dollars, to support the Philippines in delivering “high-quality, inclusive, climate-resilient, and low-carbon public infrastructure.” The loan will support the preparation of “complex and critical climate-resilient” road, bridge, transport, and…

Thailand To Promote Songkran As Global Festival After UNESCO Listing

BANGKOK, Dec 8 (NNN-TNA) – Thailand held a celebration in the capital, Bangkok yesterday, to mark the listing of Songkran, a traditional Thai New Year festival, as an intangible cultural heritage by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). Thailand is poised to promote the Songkran festival in…

Cambodian PM To Pay Official Visit To Vietnam Next Week

PHNOM PENH, Dec 8 (NNN-AKP) – Cambodian Prime Minister, Hun Manet, will pay an official visit to Vietnam on Dec 11 and 12, to further advance bilateral ties and cooperation, said a foreign ministry’s statement, yesterday. His upcoming visit “signifies a further deepening of the long-standing relationship, based on the…

Five Injured After Elderly Driver Crashes Into Tutoring School Near Tokyo

TOKYO, Dec 8 (NNN-NHK) – A car, yesterday plowed into a building, housing a tutoring school near Tokyo, resulting in injuries to five individuals, including the driver in his 80s, local media reports showed. The accident took place around 4:30 p.m. local time, when a passenger car, driven by an…