BEIJING -- On the occasion of this year's Chinese Lunar New Year, or Year of the Ox, many leaders and dignitaries of foreign countries have extended greetings or congratulations, conveying their best wishes and positive expectations.

Zimbabwean President Emmerson Mnangagwa on Friday wished the Chinese people a happy new year.

"A happy new year to the government and the people of China. May this year bring health, happiness, prosperity and success to our friends in China, to the people of Zimbabwe and to humanity as a whole," Mnangagwa said.

- - - -

MAZAR-E-SHARIF, Afghanistan -- A total of 30 Taliban militants were killed as their explosive device went off inside a mosque in Dawlatabad district of the northern Balkh province on Saturday, an army spokesman in the northern region, Mohammad Hanif Rezai said.

According to the spokesman, a group of Taliban insurgents were busy with receiving training in Qalta village of the restive district on how to make explosive devices and roadside bombs when a mine went off suddenly, killing 30 militants on the spot, six of them foreign nationals.

- - - -

HARARE -- The strides the Communist Party of China (CPC) has made over the past decades are "tremendous beyond belief," said Zimbabwean President Emmerson Mnangagwa here on Friday.

Congratulating on the 100th anniversary of the founding of the CPC this year, Mnangagwa said in an interview with Chinese media at the State House in Harare that despite enduring trying times, the party has been focusing on its goal of making life better for its people.

"China has gone through very hard times historically," he said. Under the CPC's leadership, however, "China has achieved strides of both economic and social progress."

- - - -

GENEVA -- An independent expert team to study the origins of the COVID-19 virus is working on a summary report expected to be published next week, said Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, director-general of the World Health Organization (WHO), on Friday.

The WHO chief told a virtual press conference that the team has completed its trip to China, and their full final report will be published in the coming weeks.

"This has been a very important scientific exercise in very difficult circumstances. We look forward to receiving both reports, which will be released publicly," he said. Enditem

Related

Go to Forum >>0 Comment(s)