The United Nations secretary-general has called on Taliban militants to immediately halt their offensive against government forces and return to the negotiating table.
Antonio Guterres noted the fighting between Taliban and Afghan security forces for control of cities and towns was "causing tremendous harm" and humanitarian needs were "growing by the hour" in Afghanistan.
Many Afghan cities and about half of the country's 34 provinces in recent weeks have seen heavy battles and street fighting between Afghan forces and Taliban militants.
China has pledged to continue its participation in science-based COVID-19 origin-tracing.
The country also urged the WHO Secretariat to fully consult with member states on the global work plan for the issue and carry out effective cooperation.
The African Union's Center for Disease Control is asking countries in the continent to sensitize the public about the benefits of taking COVID-19 vaccines.
Africa has in the past week registered over 270 thousand new infections and six thousand deaths.
The primary mission life of China's Zhurong Mars rover comes to an end this weekend, although the vehicle could operate well beyond that.
Zhurong was designed with a life-expectancy of three months. Its primary mission was searching for signs of water-ice, monitoring weather, and studying surface composition.
The New York State Assembly will suspend its impeachment investigation against New York Governor Andrew Cuomo upon his resignation taking effect on August 25.
New York State Assembly Speaker Carl Heastie made the remarks on Friday.
Heastie said the governor's resignation answers the directive of the impeachment investigation, which was to determine whether Cuomo should remain in office.
Chinese action film "Raging Fire" has opened in a limited theatrical release in North America.
The film is being released with English subtitles in approximately 60 selected theaters in Los Angeles, New York, San Francisco, Atlanta, Honolulu, Houston, Vancouver, Toronto and a few other major cities across North America.
"Raging Fire" is a box office hit this summer in China. Figures show that the film has grossed 626 million yuan within 14 days of screening.