WORLD

  TAIYUAN | Xinhua |  Basking in the sunshine, John Jammet and his wife sat in the courtyard of a traditional house in the historic Pingyao County of north China’s Shanxi Province, with coffee in hand. Their trip seemingly offered them a glimpse into the lives of Chinese back in …

LOS ANGELES | Xinhua |  U.S. President Donald Trump said his telephone conversation Monday morning with his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin “went very well.” Trump made the remarks in a social media post after the two-hour phone call about the war in Ukraine, saying Russia and Ukraine would start a …

BOOK REVIEW | THE INDEPENDENT | Donald J. Trump is a figure who continues to divide opinion and dominate headlines. His life—marked by monumental successes, relentless controversies, and an undeniable influence on American and global politics—demands more than a cursory glance. Trump Unyielding, authored by Newton Isaac and published by …

DUBA | TASS | At least 151 people were killed in Israeli strikes on the Gaza Strip on May 18, including 70 in the shelling of Gaza City and in the north of the enclave, Qatar’s Al Jazeera reported. According to Dmitry Gendelman, an adviser to the Prime Minister’s Office, …

CAIRO | Xinhua |  Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah al-Sisi on Sunday called for reaching an immediate ceasefire in the Gaza Strip and facilitating the flow of humanitarian aid into the war-torn enclave during a meeting with a visiting U.S. official. Sisi made the appeal in Cairo when meeting with Massad Boulos, …

MOSCOW | TASS | Russian President Vladimir Putin is expected on May 19 to hold his third conversation with his US counterpart Donald Trump since the beginning of the year. The US president announced the conversation himself on his Truth Social page, writing that he plans to speak with Putin …

BUCHAREST | Xinhua |  Nicusor Dan, the mayor of Bucharest and an independent candidate, has won Romania’s presidential runoff election, defeating his rival George Simion, according to near-complete official results published Sunday night by the country’s Permanent Electoral Authority (AEP). Dan secured 54.17 percent of the vote, while Simion, leader …

CAIRO | Xinhua | U.S. President Donald Trump departed the United Arab Emirates (UAE) on Friday afternoon, concluding a lucrative four-day Gulf tour, which had also taken him to Saudi Arabia and Qatar. Despite expectations that Trump’s visit could help calm the conflict in Gaza and ease regional tensions, the …

WASHINGTON, the United States | Xinhua | U.S. President Donald Trump said on Saturday that he will speak separately with Russian President Vladimir Putin and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on Monday to push for a ceasefire deal between the two countries. “I will be speaking, by telephone, to President Vladimir …

ROME | Xinhua & Vatican News |  Leo XIV was officially inaugurated as the pontiff of the Roman Catholic Church on Saturday. Greeting over 100,000 pilgrims, leaders from around the world, and representatives of Christian denominations, Pope Leo XIV marked the joyous start to his Petrine Ministry, officially inaugurating it …