TASHKENT -- Uzbekistan will get 100 million U.S. dollars from the Asian Development Bank and another 100 million dollars from the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank to fight the COVID-19 pandemic, according to a resolution signed by Uzbek President Shavkat Mirziyoyev on Thursday.

The funds will be used to counter coronavirus infections and reinforce the infrastructure of the country's health system, according to the document. (Uzbekistan-ADB-AIIB)

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BEIJING -- Chinese President Xi Jinping said Friday that he stands ready to work with his Austrian counterpart, Alexander Van der Bellen, to strengthen cooperation on the joint construction of the Belt and Road.

In his message exchanged with the Austrian president to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the founding of bilateral diplomatic ties, Xi said he attaches great importance to China-Austria relations, and stands ready to constantly promote the China-Austria friendly strategic partnership to new levels, so as to bring benefits to the two countries and peoples. (China-Austria-Ties)

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LONDON -- There is no place for "unsubstantiated rumor, or conspiracy theories often fueled for political purposes" when it comes to COVID-19 origin tracing, said Dr Jeremy Farrar, director of Wellcome Trust, a charitable foundation, and a renowned medical researcher.

"The origins of SARS-CoV-2 (the virus that causes COVID-19) are not yet certain -- it is possible the origin will never be fully established -- but nature is a powerful force and, in my view, the most likely scenario is that the virus crossed from animals to humans. The best scientific evidence available to date points to this," said Dr Farrar in a statement provided for Xinhua. (UK-COVID-19-Origin tracing)

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LAGOS -- At least 14 people held by gunmen were recently rescued by Nigerian police in an operation in a suburb of the capital Abuja, a police spokesperson said Thursday.

Mariam Yusuf, a police spokesperson in Abuja, said in a statement that the 14 people were kidnapped at the Gauraka area of Niger state several days ago. (Nigeria-Rescue-Kidnap) Enditem

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