Venezuelan oil price falls below $10, lowest level in 20 years

CARACAS, April 26 (NNN-AGENCIES) — The price of Venezuelan oil has fallen to below $10 a barrel — its lowest level in more than two decades, the government said. The oil ministry said the price between Monday and Friday was 70.62 Chinese yuan — $9.90 a barrel — a level…

New North America trade deal to take effect July 1: US

WASHINGTON, April 26 (NNN-AGENCIES) — The new free trade deal between the United States, Mexico and Canada will enter into force on July 1, the office of the US trade representative said. The pact — which replaces the 1994 North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) — binds nearly half a…

Covid-19: ‘No evidence’ people with coronavirus are immunised – WHO

GENEVA, April 26 (NNN-AGENCIES) — The World Health Organization (WHO) warned that there is no evidence that people who test positivefor the new coronavirus are immunised and protected against re-infection. The warning suggests that the issuance of “immune passports” may promote the continued spread of the pandemic. “There is currently…

Covid-19: Philippines’ Pres Duterte threatens martial law if communist rebels disrupt virus aid

Philippines President Rodrigo Duterte MANILA, April 24 (NNN-AGENCIES) — Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte threatened to declare martial law if communist rebels disrupted the flow of relief goods for Filipinos impacted by the coronavirus lockdown restrictions, and asked his military to be ready. “I am now warning everybody, I am putting…

Covid-19: Singapore will ‘care for Indian migrant workers’, PM Lee assures Indian PM Modi

PM Lee (right) and Indian PM Modi SINGAPORE, April 24 (NNN-CNA) — Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong assured his Indian counterpart Narendra Modi that Singapore will care for Indian migrant workers amid the COVID-19 pandemic.  In a Facebook post on Thursday, Lee outlined his phone call with Modi where both leaders discussed…

Covid-19: Singapore cases cross 12,000 after 897 more confirmed

SINGAPORE, April 24 (NNN-CNA) — Singapore confirmed 897 new cases of COVID-19 as of noon on Friday, taking the national total to 12,075. The vast majority of the new cases are work permit holders residing in foreign worker dormitories, the Ministry of Health (MOH) said in its preliminary release of figures.…

Covid-19: Latin American countries mulling next move as lockdown deadline about to expire

MEXICO CITY, April 24 (NNN-Xinhua) — Latin American countries on Thursday analyzed their next move as lockdown deadlines expire at the end of the month amid a rising COVID-19 caseload. Bolivia, where a lockdown is set to expire on April 30, is studying the situation to decide whether to relax…

Israel allocates 15 mln USD to aid Arab communities during Ramadan amid pandemic

JERUSALEM, April 24 (NNN-Xinhua) — Israel will transfer an emergency aid package of 55 million new shekels (about 15.6 million U.S. dollars) to 73 Arab local authorities, the state’s Ministry of Interior said. The decision was taken by Israel’s ministries of interior and finance to help 1.1 million Arab residents…

China’s first Mars exploration mission named Tianwen-1

BEIJING, April 24 (NNN-Xinhua) — China’s first Mars exploration mission has been named Tianwen-1, announced the China National Space Administration (CNSA) on Friday, China’s Space Day. The name comes from the long poem “Tianwen,” meaning Questions to Heaven, written by Qu Yuan (about 340-278 BC), one of the greatest poets…

Covid-19: Angola extends state of emergency by another 15 days

LUANDA, April 24 (NNN-ANGOP) — Angola’s National Assembly (Parliament) approved the second extension of the 15-day State of Emergency in the country, as part of the effort to arrest the spread of the novel coronavirus. The decision followed a petition from President João Lourenço for the purpose, which was unanimously…