WORLD

United Nations | Xinhua | UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on Friday called for a ceasefire in Syria in a statement marking 11 years of “brutal fighting” in the conflict-torn nation. “We cannot fail the Syrian people. The conflict must cease. International humanitarian law must be respected,” said the UN chief. “I …

Washington, U.S. | Xinhua | The U.S. government will revoke Russia’s most-favored nation trade status amid the Ukraine crisis, the White House said Friday, noting that it will work with Group of Seven (G7) countries and the European Union to roll out new sanctions. U.S. President Joe Biden and the other …

Iran is fully prepared to supply whatever the market wants from Iran’s oil Tehran, Iran | Xinhua | The head of National Iranian Oil Company (NIOC) said Friday that Iran is ready to supply required oil for the world market and stabilize the prices, official news agency IRNA reported. The Iranian …

Moscow, Russia | Xinhua | Russia’s telecom watchdog Roskomnadzor said Friday that it will limit the access to U.S. social network Instagram in Russia, as was required by the Prosecutor General’s Office. Instagram distributes materials which call for committing violent acts against Russian citizens, including military personnel, Roskomnadzor said in a …

Rome, Italy | Xinhua | Russia’s Hermitage museum is seeking the return from Italy of a painting by Pablo Picasso it loaned, a Rome museum confirmed Thursday. The Hermitage, based in St. Petersburg, Russia, has also reportedly requested the return of other paintings on loan in Italy. The Italian media is …

Beijing, China | Xinhua | A Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson on Thursday said the United States should conduct a credible, independent and impartial investigation into civilian casualties caused by U.S. air strikes, and hold those concerned accountable. Spokesperson Zhao Lijian made the remarks at a daily news briefing, saying that this …

SARS-CoV-2 emergence very likely resulted from at least two zoonotic events Beijing, China | Xinhua | Three reports newly published by different research teams from different countries have revealed more evidence that some zoonotic origins were behind the spread of SARS-CoV-2, which caused the worldwide COVID-19 pandemic. The studies were conducted …

Geneva, Switzerland | Xinhua | The World Health Organization (WHO) has advised Ukraine to destroy high-threat pathogens stored in the country’s labs to prevent “any potential spills,” the UN agency said on Thursday. In an emailed response, the WHO told Reuters that it has “strongly recommended the Ministry of Health in …

Frankfurt, Germany | Xinhua | The European Central Bank (ECB) unveiled on Thursday a roadmap to wind down stimulus policies and possibly raise interest rates later in 2022. The decision to taper and possibly reverse a years-long policy of negative interest rates came at a time when inflation in the euro …

Beijing, China | Xinhua | Chinese Premier Li Keqiang said on Friday that utmost efforts should be made to support Russia and Ukraine in overcoming difficulties to carry forward ceasefire negotiations, and China supports and encourages all efforts that are conducive to a peaceful settlement of the crisis in Ukraine. Speaking …