WORLD

Geneva, Switzerland | Xinhua | The number of countries, areas or territories reporting various variants of COVID-19 continues to increase after the global number of coronavirus cases surpassed 200 million last week, the World Health Organization (WHO) said on Wednesday. In its latest weekly update on the pandemic issued on Wednesday …

Geneva, Switzerland | Xinhua | The World Health Organization (WHO) on Wednesday announced that it will test three new drugs for COVID-19, which will involve thousands of researchers at more than 600 hospitals in 52 countries. According to a press release issued by WHO on Wednesday, the three new drugs are …

Washington, U.S. | Xinhua | U.S. President Joe Biden said on Tuesday that the Afghan troops must fight for themselves as multiple cities have fallen to the Taliban in the past few days. “We spent over a trillion dollars over 20 years. We trained and equipped with modern equipment over 300,000 …

Houston, U.S. | Xinhua | The U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) forecast in a report on Tuesday that global crude oil prices will remain near current levels for the remainder of 2021 and will decline next year. In its August’s Short-Term Energy Outlook (STEO), EIA said Brent crude oil spot prices …

Washington, U.S. | Xinhua | U.S. President Joe Biden said Monday that he “strongly” supports the effort by the Department of Defense (DOD) to make COVID-19 vaccine mandatory for members of the U.S. military by Sept. 15. “I strongly support (Defense) Secretary (Lloyd) Austin’s message to the Force today on the …

Tehran, Iran | Xinhua | Ebrahim Raisi was sworn in on Thursday as the new president of Iran, a country now standing at a juncture with critical domestic and global challenges ahead. Talks between Iran and other related parties, which started in April in Vienna to revive the Joint Comprehensive Plan …

Washington, USA | Xinhua | U.S. President Joe Biden has partially extended a ban on evicting tenants who have been economically impacted by COVID-19. But it remains unknown whether the moratorium will survive mounting legal challenges. Last year, after the pandemic hit, capacity restrictions on businesses such as restaurants and …

Kabul, Afghanistan | Xinhua | About 350 militants were killed and 70 wounded during one-day offensives and airstrikes launched by Afghan government security forces on Friday, as clashes resumed in several cities early Saturday, the military confirmed. At least 276 Taliban militants were killed and 47 militants wounded after security …

Madrid, Spain | Xinhua | FC Barcelona president Joan Laporta on Friday explained the club’s decision to end its 21-year relationship with Lionel Messi and break off talks over a new contract. Barca shocked the football world on Thursday with the announcement that Messi would leave the club, when most were …

Washington, U.S. | Xinhua | Fully vaccinated people can still transmit the COVID-19 virus, U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Director Dr. Rochelle Walensky said on Thursday. “Our vaccines are working exceptionally well,” Walensky told CNN’s Wolf Blitzer. The vaccines work well for Delta in a way to prevent …