New York, US | XINHUA | United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on Saturday issued a statement to commemorate the 20th anniversary of the 9/11 terrorist attacks in the United States. “Today we mark a somber day seared in the minds of millions of people around the world — a …
Read More »Former Portuguese President Jorge Sampaio dies at 81
Lisbon, Portugal | Xinhua | Jorge Sampaio, former president of Portugal, passed away on Friday at the age of 81. He had been hospitalized with respiratory problems since Aug. 27 in the coronary intensive care unit at Santa Cruz Hospital, Lisbon. Following a non-religious ceremony at Lisbon’s Mosteiro dos Jeronimoson on …
Read More »UN Women chief asks Taliban to respect rights of Afghan women
United Nations | Xinhua | A United Nations (UN) high-ranking official on Thursday called on the Taliban authorities in Afghanistan to respect the rights of women. “Women have a right to peaceful protest and to a life free of violence. In taking control of Afghanistan, the Taliban authorities assume a duty …
Read More »Putin attributes Afghan crisis to imposition of foreign values
Moscow, Russia | Xinhua | The current crisis in Afghanistan is a direct consequence of “irresponsible attempts to impose alien values from the outside” on the country, Russian President Vladimir Putin said on Thursday. Addressing the 13th BRICS summit via video link, Putin pointed out foreign countries’ desire to “build so-called …
Read More »WHO calls for extension of moratorium on COVID-19 booster doses
Geneva, Switzerland | Xinhua | The World Health Organization (WHO) called on Wednesday for an extension of a global moratorium on COVID-19 booster doses, with an aim to enable every country to vaccinate at least 40 percent of its population. “A month ago, I called for a global moratorium on booster …
Read More »UN chief calls on all countries to do more to improve air quality
United Nations | Xinhua | United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on Tuesday called on all countries to do more to improve air quality. “On the International Day of Clean Air for Blue Skies, I call on all countries to do more to improve air quality,” the UN chief said in a …
Read More »U.S., Qatar call on Taliban to facilitate evacuations from Afghanistan
Doha, Qatar | Xinhua | The United States and Qatar on Tuesday urged the Afghan Taliban to live up to their commitment to facilitate the evacuations from Afghanistan. This appeal came during a joint press conference held in Doha by U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin, …
Read More »Mullah Hassan Akhund leads Afghanistan’s caretaker gov’t
Kabul, Afghanistan | Xinhua | The Taliban said on Tuesday that Mullah Hassan Akhund was appointed as the prime minister of Afghanistan’s caretaker government. Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid told a press conference that Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar and Abdul Salam Hanafi were named as the acting deputy prime ministers, while Mullah Mohammad …
Read More »FIFA to analyze official reports after Brazil-Argentina suspension
Rio de Janeiro, Brazil | Xinhua | World football governing body FIFA said Monday it will analyze reports from match officials before deciding upon a course of action for the suspended World Cup qualifier between Brazil and Argentina. Sunday’s clash at Sao Paulo’s Corinthians Arena was called off shortly after kickoff …
Read More »WHO chief urges joint efforts to prevent future COVID-19-like pandemic
Kathmandu, Nepal | Xinhua | World Health Organization (WHO) Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus on Monday called for countries to work together to ensure that a pandemic at the magnitude of COVID-19 shall not occur again in the near future. “The pandemic’s impact differs from country to country,” Ghebreyesus said at the …
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