JERUSALEM, May 7 (Xinhua) — Israel’s cabinet on Sunday voted in favor of the controversial “Nationality Bill,” which claims Israel as the nation-state of the Jewish people and cancels Arabic as a formal language. The bill was approved by the Ministerial Committee for Legislation, but it still needs to pass three rounds of votes in […]

PARIS, May 7 (Xinhua) — Polling stations opened on France’s European mainland on Sunday for the decisive round of a presidential election crucial for both the country and the European Union (EU). Nearly 47 million voters are expected to cast their ballots, choosing between pro-Europe, pro-business centrist candidate Emmanuel Macron, and anti-immigration, anti-EU far-right leader […]

JUBA, May 7 (Xinhua) — The United Nations Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS) said Sunday it has deployed peacekeeping troops to Aburoc in the Upper Nile region to help enable the delivery of much needed humanitarian assistance. Head of UNMISS David Shearer said the peacekeeping troops’ immediate focus will be on securing the roads to […]

MANILA, May 7 (Xinhua) — Troops from Australia and Japan will participate in the annual joint exercises between U.S. and Philippine militaries that will officially kick off on Monday, a Philippine military spokesman said on Sunday. Maj. Celeste Sayson, Balikatan public affairs director, said 2,600 U.S. troops and 2,800 Philippine troops will participate in this […]

RAMALLAH, May 4 (Xinhua) — Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas said Thursday that the contacts between Palestine and U.S. began and will continue, in order to achieve a lasting peace in the Middle East. Abbas made the remarks in an interview with Palestine’s public TV station following his meeting with U.S. President Donald Trump at White […]

NEW DELHI, May 4 (Xinhua) — India test-fired a nuclear-capable surface-to-surface Agni-II ballistic missile on Thursday, state-run broadcaster All India Radio (AIR) reported. The missile was fired from wheeler Island, off the coast in eastern state of Odisha. According to the broadcaster, the missile has a strike range of 2,000 km. The broadcaster quoted defense […]

KABUL, May 4 (Xinhua) — Gulbudin Hekmatyar, leader of Afghanistan‘s Hizb-e-Islami, or Islamic Party, is due to return to Kabul on Thursday, ending decades of exile and fighting against the government, said a statement released by the presidential palace. “President Mohammad Ashraf Ghani is scheduled to deliver a speech at the ceremony to welcome Hekmatyar,” […]

TEHRAN, May 4 (Xinhua) — At least 35 miners were killed in a coal mine explosion in the northern Iranian province of Golestan on Wednesday, Minister of Cooperatives, Labor and Social Welfare Ali Rabiei was quoted by Tasnim news agency as saying Thursday. The accident occurred at 12:45 p.m. local time (0815 GMT) in Zemestan […]