Chinese President Xi Jinping and Russian President Vladimir Putin have exchanged congratulatory letters for the opening of the China-Russia Year of Scientific and Technological Innovation.
The Chinese president says that the launch of the event despite the impact of COVID-19 reflected the distinctiveness of partnership between the two countries.
He also says China and Russia should promote cooperation between their researchers and contribute to the building of a community with a shared future for mankind.
In his letter, Putin said close cooperation between China and Russia in the fight against COVID-19 has yielded important outcomes.
Hong Kong police have arrested 16 people in two cases related to last year's social unrest.
They include opposition lawmakers Lam Cheuk-ting and Ted Hui Chi-fung.
They were suspected of attempting to pervert the course of public justice, accessing a computer with criminal or dishonest intent, criminal damage, and illegal gathering.
Lam was also suspected of participating in a riot in July of last year.
Police denied the accusation of collusion between the police and triads during the violence.
Construction crews are working around the clock to make sure 5G services are running to cover key areas in Beijing by the end of this year.
The areas include the city's sub-center, Daxing International Airport, 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics venues, and the area in the middle of the city that serves as the country's political and cultural centers.
Texas Governor Greg Abbott has urged people who have not yet evacuated from the path of Hurricane Laura to leave.
Abbott warns that the hurricane is going to be severe with very powerful winds and that the storm surge may not be survivable when it hits the U.S.
"We do expect landfall around midnight tonight. This has been categorized repeatedly as an unsurvivable — unsurvivable storm surge where it will be hitting, and that storm surge could continue inland for about 30 miles."
The governor says more than 5,000 people have already evacuated and found shelter, with other areas of the state still prepared to take in more people.
The National Hurricane Center reported that Laura had maximum sustained winds at 225 kilometers per hour and was moving toward the Texas/Louisiana border.
Hurricane Laura was upgraded to Category 4 storm as it approached the coasts of Texas and Louisiana on Wednesday.
The Atomic Energy Organization of Iran has agreed to grant access to two locations to inspectors with the International Atomic Energy Organization.
The agreement was made during a recent visit by IAEA Director General Rafael Grossi.
The inspections will be made near Shahreza in Isfahan Province and near Tehran.
The UN nuclear watchdog has demanded inspections for "possible" nuclear activities in the two locations.
Heavy flooding has killed at least 100 people, including children, as seasonal rains hit northern and eastern parts of Afghanistan.
More than 500 houses have been destroyed and a local hospital in northern Parwan province was partially destroyed in the flooding.
Germany is considering scrapping mandatory free coronavirus tests for returning travelers.
A rule requiring travelers returning from areas that Germany considers as hotspots to self-quarantine for 14 days will remain.
At least 14 dead dolphins have washed up on the coast of Mauritius, where a Japanese ship ran aground and spilled more than 1,000 tons of fuel.
Environmental groups and experts who reported the incident on Wednesday say other dolphins stranded on shore appeared to be seriously ill.
The Japanese bulk carrier MV Wakashio ran aground on a coral reef near the eastern coast of Mauritius in July.
The ship later broke into two and the bow, which was the smaller of the two pieces, was towed out to sea and sunk.
The ship's captain and first officer have been charged with endangering safe navigation.