128 journalists killed worldwide in 2025: press group

BRUSSELS, Jan 1 (NNN-AGENCIES) — A total of 128 journalists were killed around the world in 2025, more than half of them in the Middle East, the International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) said Thursday. The grim toll, up from 2024, “is not just a statistic, it’s a global red alert…

5.7-Magnitude Earthquake Struck Off Japan’s Iwate Prefecture

TOKYO, Jan 1 (NNN-NHK) – An earthquake, with a preliminary magnitude of 5.7, struck, off Iwate Prefecture, in northern Japan yesterday, the country’s weather agency said. The temblor occurred at 11:27 p.m. local time, off Iwate’s eastern coast, at a depth of about 30 kilometres, measuring 4 on Japan’s seismic…

One Dead, One Missing In Separate Incidents At Eastern Sydney Beaches

SYDNEY, Jan 1 (NNN-AAP) – A woman has drowned and a man has gone missing, while swimming in separate incidents at Sydney beaches, in the early hours of this morning. A police statement said that, emergency services were called to reports that a person had been swept out into the…

Türkiye Grants Visa-Free Entry To Chinese Tourists

ANKARA, Jan 1 (NNN-TRT) – Türkiye has granted visa-free travel to Chinese citizens holding ordinary passports, for tourism and transit, according to a presidential decree published in the Official Gazette, yesterday. Under the new regulations, signed by Turkish President, Tayyip Erdogan, Chinese travellers will be exempt from visa requirements for…

Indonesia Raises Alert Level For Mount Bur Ni Telong In Aceh

JAKARTA, Jan 1 (NNN-ANTARA) – Indonesian authorities, have raised the alert level for Mount Bur Ni Telong volcano, in Aceh province, to Level III, the centre said yesterday. Lana Saria, the acting head of the Geological Agency of the Ministry of Energy and Mineral Resources, said, seismic activity around Mount…

Over 600,000 Vulnerable Citizens In Afghanistan Received Financial Aid Last Year

KABUL, Jan 1 (NNN-BNA) – The Afghan government has provided financial and other forms of support, to more than 600,000 orphans, widows, and people with disabilities, across the country over the past year, Afghan government spokesman, Zabihullah Mujahid, said, yesterday. A monthly allowance of 2,000 Afghanis has been allocated to…

Iran Open To “Genuine, Serious” Talks With U.S.: FM

TEHRAN, Jan 1 (NNN-IRNA) – Though it does not fear war, Iran “has never sought a conflict” with the United States, and is open to “genuine and serious” negotiations, Iranian Foreign Minister, Seyed Abbas Araghchi, said. He made the remarks on X, a day after U.S. President, Donald Trump, threatened…

FAO officially launches 2026 as the International Year of the Women Farmer

ROME, Dec 31 (NNN-MERCOPRESS) — The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) officially launched The International Year of the Woman Farmer 2026, a global campaign aimed at recognizing women’s indispensable yet often overlooked contributions to global agri-food systems and to galvanize efforts to close persistent gender gaps.…

Artificial Carpet Manufacturing Factory Opens In Balkh Province, Northern Afghanistan

KABUL, Dec 31 (NNN-BNA) – An artificial carpet manufacturing factory, has been inaugurated in Mazar-i-Sharif, the capital of northern Afghanistan’s Balkh province, with an investment of nearly one million U.S. dollars, it was officially reported, today. According to the report, the newly established factory is expected to contribute to local…

One Dead In Widespread Floods In Australia’s Queensland

SYDNEY, Dec 31 (NNN-AAP) – A man has been found dead in a vehicle, submerged in floodwater, in the Australian state of Queensland, amid ongoing torrential rainfall. The Queensland Police Service (QPS), said in a statement that, officers were called to a vehicle submerged in floodwater near the small outback…
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