Covid-19: Aussie cluster grows to 28, border restrictions reintroduced

SYDNEY, Dec 18 (NNN-Xinhua) — An outbreak of COVID-19 in the Australian city of Sydney grew to 28 on Friday, with domestic border restrictions reintroduced for hotspot areas. The cluster of cases appeared this week on Sydney’s Northern Beaches in the State of New South Wales (NSW), and local residents…

Middle-east roundup: Saudi Arabia starts Covid-19 vaccination; Turkey sees highest daily death toll of 243

Labourers, wearing protective face masks, disinfect the front of a restaurant in Dubai’s marina CAIRO, Dec 18 (NNN-Xinhua) — Saudi Arabia began on Thursday to provide free COVID-19 vaccines to the public after the kingdom received the first shipment of vaccines a day earlier. Meanwhile, Turkey reported a record high…

Doping: Russia banned from next two Olympic Games in Tokyo and Beijing

The Olympic rings inside the building of the Russian Olympic Committee in Moscow LAUSANNE, Dec 18 (NNN-AGENCIES) — Russia will not be able to use its name, flag and anthem at the next two Olympics or at any world championships for the next two years after a ruling by the…

Cameron PM inaugurates country’s first-ever shopping mall

YAOUNDE, Dec 18 (NNN-Xinhua) — Cameroonian Prime Minister Joseph Dion Ngute on Thursday inaugurated the country’s first ever shopping mall dubbed Douala Grand Mall in the commercial hub of Douala. Ngute said the structure represented a milestone in the country’s drive towards becoming an emerging nation by 2035. “Cameroon is…

Covid-19: Iran reports 7,453 new cases, 1,138,530 in total

A woman wearing a face mask crosses a street in Tehran TEHERAN, Dec 18 (NNN-Xinhua) — Iran reported 7,453 new COVID-19 cases, taking the tally to 1,138,530 in the country so far, according to the Iranian Ministry of Health and Medical Education’s website. Sima Sadat Lari, spokeswoman for the ministry,…

Brexit: UK to do “everything” to secure good trade deal with EU – senior official

Boris Johnson on a call with Ursula von der Leyen LONDON, Dec 18 (NNN-Xinhua) — British Cabinet Office Minister Michael Gove said that the British government “will be doing everything” to secure a good post-Brexit trade deal with the European Union (EU). “Even if sometimes results are coming later than…

India launches communication satellite CMS-01

NEW DELHI, Dec 18 (NNN-Xinhua) — The Indian space research organisation ( ISRO) Thursday successfully launched a communication satellite CMS-01 onboard Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle — PSLV-C50, officials said. The satellite was launched from the second launch pad of Satish Dhawan Space Centre (SDSC) in Sriharikota, off the Bay of…

Covid-19: Asia-Pacific not expected to have early access to coronavirus vaccines – WHO

MANILA, Dec 18 (NNN-AGENCIES) — The Asia-Pacific region was not expected to have early access to COVID-19 vaccines and should continue to practice health and safety precautions as protection against the coronavirus, the World Health Organization (WHO) said.Only a limited number of COVID-19 vaccines would be initially available, and most countries in Asia-Pacific might…

Kenya, Tanzania and Rwanda rank top for rapid digital growth, demand: report

Sub-Saharan Africa has recorded high mobile payment adoption in the past decade NAIROBI, Dec 18 (NNN-AGENCIES) — Kenya ranked top within the region in digital growth and demand, according to the latest Digital Intelligence Index payments firm Mastercard and the Fletcher School at Tufts University.In the survey titled Digital Intelligence…

Ethiopia unrest: More than 63,000 people internally displaced in Tigray – UN spokesman

Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed UNITED NATIONS, Dec 18 (NNN-AGENCIES) — A UN spokesman said that more than 63,000 people have been recorded as “internally displaced” in Tigray, but the UN hopes to know the true number once the world body has more access.Stephane Dujarric, spokesman for UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres,…