DAR ES SALAAM, June 20 (Xinhua) — Tanzania’s central bank on Tuesday reminded local residents to stop making domestic payments for goods and services using foreign currencies. The Bank of Tanzania (BoT) said in a statement that it has recently observed violations of the directive. According to the statement, the government issued a public notice prohibiting domestic payments for goods and services using foreign currencies for local residents respectively in August 2007 and December 2017.  BoT would like to remind the…

NEW DELHI, June 18 (Xinhua) — The death toll in India’s devastating trains mishap on June 2 has risen to 291, after one of the victims succumbed to injuries in a government hospital, confirmed a government official Sunday. The accident involving two passenger trains and one goods train occurred in Balasore area of the eastern state of Odisha. It was described as the worst ever train accident in recent years. A total of 287 people died instantly in the rail crash,…

BEIJING, June 19 (Xinhua) — Chinese President Xi Jinping met with U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken at the Great Hall of the People on Monday. Xi pointed out that the world needs a generally stable China-U.S. relationship, and whether the two countries can find the right way to get along bears on the future of humanity. The Chinese, like the Americans, are dignified, confident and self-reliant people, and they both have the right to pursue a better life, he…

BEIJING, June 14 (Xinhua) — With more than 40 years of reform and opening-up, China has eradicated extreme poverty, lifted about 800 million people out of poverty, and brought over 400 million people into the middle-income group. This is a miracle in the history of human civilization and has far-reaching implications for global human rights governance. The United States has never considered poverty eradication a human rights issue, while Europe considers it an obstacle to the realization of human rights…

BEIJING, June 14 (Xinhua) — Chinese President Xi Jinping on Wednesday sent a congratulatory letter to the Forum on Global Human Rights Governance. At a time of severe challenges facing the global human rights governance, China stands for safeguarding human rights with security, respecting the sovereignty and territorial integrity of all countries, calling on all countries to follow the path of peaceful development, and putting into action the Global Security Initiative, Xi noted in the letter. China advocates for promoting…

BEIJING, June 14 (Xinhua) — The Forum on Global Human Rights Governance, themed “Equality, Cooperation and Development: The 30th Anniversary of the Vienna Declaration and Programme of Action and Global Human Rights Governance,” opened in Beijing Wednesday. Jointly hosted by the Information Office of the State Council, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and the China International Development Cooperation Agency, the forum attracted over 300 participants from nearly 100 countries and international organizations, including United Nations (UN) agencies. In a congratulatory…

KIGALI, June 11 (Xinhua) — Rwanda and the African Union (AU) have signed a host country agreement for the African Medicines Agency (AMA), paving the way for the beginning of operations of the newly launched continental regulatory body for medical products. Rwandan Minister of Health Sabin Nsanzimana signed the agreement Saturday on behalf of his government while African Union Commissioner for Health, Humanitarian Affairs and Social Development, Minata Samate Cessouma, signed on behalf of the AU at a ceremony in…

ADDIS ABABA, June 11 (Xinhua) — Djibouti and Kenya have agreed to abolish visa requirements for their respective nationals, the office of Kenya President William Ruto disclosed on Sunday. In a press statement, the office of Kenya president said the two east African nations hope to spur their bilateral trade with a push for a visa free regime for respective nationals. The two countries also hope to boost bilateral investment ties as well as bolster regional stability with the move to…

SYDNEY, June 12 (Xinhua) — Police in the Australian state of New South Wales (NSW) said on Monday that at least 10 people died and 25 others were transported to hospital, after a wedding bus crashed and rolled in the state’s Hunter Region late Sunday night. According to a statement by NSW Police Force, emergency services were called at 11:30 p.m. on Sunday to the roundabout on Wine Country Drive near the Hunter Expressway off-ramp at Greta, following reports that…

The Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa (COMESA), the largest regional economic organization in Africa, on Friday urged its member states to remove all barriers that are hindering its integration. While acknowledging efforts made toward achieving integration, a communique released after the 22nd COMESA Summit of Heads of State and Government said that more needed to be done if the program is to succeed. According to the communique, member countries should remove all restrictions on the movement of people, labour,…