Singapore passport most powerful in world again, alongside Japan and South Korea

SINGAPORE, March 29 (NNN-AGENCIES) — Singapore’s passport has reclaimed the top spot on the 2019 Henley Passport Index, alongside Japan and South Korea, residence and citizenship consultancy Henley & Partners announced in a press release.  The latest edition of the rankings consolidate 12 months of Asian dominance, with the three Asian countries boasting…

Pilots flying out of Singapore airports to face random alcohol tests from March 31

SINGAPORE, March 29 (NNN-CNA) — Pilots leaving from Changi and Seletar airports will be subjected to random alcohol tests from Sunday (March 31), the Civil Aviation Authority of Singapore (CAAS) said. The random alcohol tests are part of efforts by CAAS to tighten rules on alcohol abstention for pilots, and…

Update: Banani skyscraper inferno toll rises to 25

DHAKA, March 29 (NNN-BSS) – The final official death toll in Thursday’sskyscraper inferno in city’s Banani stood at 25 with rescuers overnightextracting more bodies from rubbles. “The toll eventually stood at 25,” Mayor of North Dhaka Atiqul Islam toldan instant news briefing at the scene in the capital’s posh Banani…

Trump threatens to shut Mexico border, again

WASHINGTON, March 29 (NNN-AGENCIES) — President Donald Trump again threatened to seal the US-Mexican border, claiming in a tweet thatAmerica’s southern neighbor is allowing illegal immigrants to crossunhindered. “May close the Southern Border!” the president wrote. “Mexico is doing NOTHING to help stop the flow of illegal immigrants to ourCountry.…

Migrant ship capture: Maltese armed forces take control of hijacked tanker

VALLETTA, March 29 (NNN-AGENCIES) — Malta’s armed forces have taken control of a tanker which had been seized by migrants off the coast of Libya on Wednesday.The tanker, Elhibru 1, is now heading to a Maltese port with the crew and migrants, who will be handed over to police.More than…

Ebola disbelief widespread in DR Congo hotspots

KINSHASA, March 29 (NNN-AGENCIES) — More than a quarter of people surveyed in Ebola-hit areas of the Democratic Republic of Congo told researchers they do not believe the disease exists.Some 36% of respondents also believed that the disease had been fabricated to destabilise the country.The authors of the study, published…

Hundreds killed, thousands wounded – A year of Gaza rallies: UN

GAZA, March 29 (NNN-AGENCIES) — Palestinians in the Gaza Strip are set to mark the one-year anniversary of the Great March of Return protests, anticipating more of the same lethal violence that has characterised Israel’s approach since the demonstrations began.Last month, the United Nations Commission of Inquiry (COI) published a…

Ex-Gambian president stole $1bn, report says

Former President Yahya Jammeh BANJUL, March 29 (NNN-AGENCIES) — Former Gambian President Yahya Jammeh “orchestrated the embezzlement of nearly $1bn of public funds”, a report by the Organised Crime and Corruption Reporting Project (OCCRP) claims.Jammeh, currently in exile in Equatorial Guinea, has not responded to the allegations, the OCCRP says.The…

World Bank to increase support for funded projects in Ghana

ACCRA, March 29 (NNN-GNA) — Dr Hafez Ghanem, the World Bank Africa Vice President, has expressed desire to increase support for World Bank Group funded projects in Ghana, particularly social projects that focussed on poverty reduction.“We will be very happy to increase support for social intervention programmes in Ghana, as…

India says space debris from anti-satellite test to ‘vanish’ in 45 days

NEW DELHI, March 29 (NNN-AGENCIES) — India expects space debris from its anti-satellite weapons launch to burn out in less than 45 days, its top defense scientist said on Thursday, seeking to allay global concern about fragments hitting objects. The comments came a day after India said it used an…