Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov recently characterized Moscow’s relations with Beijing as “the best in their entire history,” with the Chinese Foreign Ministry announcing last month that the two countries enjoy a “comprehensive partnership” and would “support each other in matters of protecting state sovereignty.”

MOSCOW (Sputnik) - Afghan President Ashraf Ghani on Sunday called a bombing of a girls’ school in the country’s capital Kabul an act of terrorism and a crime against humanity, the deputy interior minister said.

OMSK, Russia (Sputnik) - Alexander Murakhovsky, the health minister of Russia's Omsk region and former chief of a hospital that treated opposition figure Alexey Navalny from his alleged poisoning, has disappeared in a local forest, the interior ministry's regional office said on Sunday.

Hollywood stars including Jennifer Aniston, Hugh Jackman, James McAvoy, Robert Pattinson, Shawn Mendes, Reese Witherspoon, Ellen DeGeneres, Will Smith, Katy Perry, Mindy Kaling, and others have come forward to donate and help raise funds through various initiatives to support India’s fight against COVID.

Prince and Princess Michael of Kent are not working members of the British Royal Family. The official Royal Family website describes Queen's first cousin as being "connected to Russia through his maternal grandmother [Grand Duchess Elena Vladimirovna, the granddaughter of Russia's Alexander II]", and as having "a strong interest in the country".

UFA (Sputnik) - A maintenance worker, who was supposed to repair a light-engine plane in Russia's Tatarstan region, hijacked the aircraft and crashed while landing, which resulted in his and the other passenger's deaths, local investigative authorities said on Sunday.

Despite carrying on with much of his predecessor’s foreign policy agenda, President Biden’s administration has yet to bring up “Arab NATO”, the Trump-era effort to build a coalition of Middle Eastern states to “confront Iranian aggression”, terrorism and extremism, and to “promote economic growth” and energy security.

MOSCOW (Sputnik) - The death toll from Saturday's blasts near a girls’ school in the Afghan capital of Kabul has reached 63, with more than 150 others wounded, media reported.

PARIS (Sputnik) - France may retaliate against the United Kingdom if London fails to fulfil the post-Brexit agreements on fishing rights, French government spokesman Gabriel Attal said on Sunday.

ANKARA (Sputnik) - Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said in a message on Europe Day that the European Union needed Turkey to be a strong global player.

MOSCOW (Sputnik) - Russian President Vladimir Putin said during his speech at the Victory Parade on Sunday that modern followers of Nazi killing squad members continue attempts to rewrite WWII history.

France previously stated that it would not make any concessions to the United Kingdom in the post-Brexit controversy over fishing rights.

ROME (Sputnik) - Pope Francis during his Sunday address expressed concerns about the ongoing clashes in East Jerusalem that led to the injuries of around 300 Palestinians, calling for the violence to stop.

The Duke and Duchess of Sussex moved to their luxury California mansion to live a “simple life”, and they have tried their best to make their experience as “authentic” as possible. Meghan even saved eight chicks from a factory farm to live with them: “I just love rescuing”, she told Oprah Winfrey during their controversial interview.

The photos arrive as the daily attendance at the Grand Mosque in Mecca during this year’s Hajj was limited amid the ongoing coronavirus pandemic, with only those vaccinated reportedly being allowed to perform prayers at the Kaaba.

Last month, an anti-racism task force was set up by the archbishops of Canterbury and York; it has already urged the Church of England to address the legacy of its involvement in the slave trade.

Elon Musk took central stage on NBC’s Saturday Night Live, as his fans and Dogecoin holders turned their heads to the screens, anticipating some bizarre comedy and potentially market-moving events. They have not been disappointed.

In Russia and across the former USSR, Sunday marks the 76th anniversary of the Soviet victory over Nazi Germany and its allies in the Great Patriotic War of 1941-1945. Parades dedicated to the hallowed day were held across Russia, with Moscow boasting the largest, with thousands of troops, nearly 200 vehicles, and dozens of aircraft taking part.

The blast reportedly occurred during maintenance operations aboard the oil tanker.

In December, French President Emmanuel Macron announced his intention to hold a nationwide referendum on constitutional amendments related to the fight against climate change.