World

Kyrgyzstan's road construction accelerates this year

BISHKEK, May 23 (Xinhua) -- Road construction in Kyrgyzstan has picked up pace this year rapidly, with a total of 243.1 kilometers of roads paved across the country as of May 20, according to the country's Ministry of Transport and Communications.

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2nd LD Writethru: DR Congo suspends passenger flights to Ebola-hit Bunia

KINSHASA, May 23 (Xinhua) -- The government of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) has temporarily suspended all passenger flights to and from Bunia, the capital of the northeastern Ituri Province that is the epicenter of the ongoing Ebola outbreak, the Ministry of Transport said on Saturday.

World

Ethiopian Airlines' passenger numbers rise 80 pct in 8 years

ADDIS ABABA, May 23 (Xinhua) -- Ethiopian Airlines has grown into a leading carrier in Africa, with passenger numbers increasing by 80 percent over the past eight years, Chief Executive Officer Mesfin Tasew said on Friday.

World

1st LD: DR Congo suspends passenger flights to Ebola-hit Bunia

KINSHASA, May 23 (Xinhua) -- The government of the Democratic Republic of the Congo has temporarily suspended all passenger flights to and from Bunia, the capital of the northeastern Ituri Province that is the epicenter of the ongoing Ebola outbreak, the Ministry of Transport said on Saturday.

World

Urgent: DR Congo suspends passenger flights to Ebola-hit Bunia

KINSHASA, May 23 (Xinhua) -- The government of the Democratic Republic of the Congo has temporarily suspended all passenger flights to and from Bunia, the capital of the northeastern Ituri Province that is the epicenter of the ongoing Ebola outbreak, the Ministry of Transport said on Saturday.

World

Namibia celebrates unity, heritage at 16th Omagongo Festival

WINDHOEK, May 23 (Xinhua) -- Namibia on Saturday celebrated the 16th annual Omagongo Festival at Onamega village under the Uukwambi Traditional Authority in the country's northern Omusati Region, highlighting the enduring role of culture in fostering unity, identity and social cohesion.

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Kenya cuts diesel prices by 10 shillings to ease fuel costs amid global oil pressure

NAIROBI, May 23 (Xinhua) -- Kenyan President William Ruto on Friday announced a 10-shilling (0.07 U.S. dollars) reduction in diesel prices for the June-July review cycle, amid rising global fuel costs driven by the Middle East conflict.

World

Across China: Int'l journalists witness innovation momentum in east China's Anhui

HEFEI, May 23 (Xinhua) -- A group of international journalists have just visited east China's Anhui Province, where they got a close-up look at the booming production lines of local new energy vehicles (NEVs), next-generation display technology and low-altitude industries, and witnessed firsthand the province's vibrant innovation vitality.

World

Trump says negotiators are getting closer to Iran deal, media interviews show

WASHINGTON, May 23 (Reuters) - ⁠President Donald Trump said on Saturday that negotiators ⁠for the United States and Iran were "getting a ‌lot closer" to finalizing an agreement to end the war, according to an interview with CBS News.

World

APEC ministers' meeting seeks broadest common ground on economic, trade cooperation: MOC

NANJING, May 23 (Xinhua) -- The 2026 APEC Ministers Responsible for Trade Meeting that concluded Saturday in China's Suzhou has actively sought the broadest common ground for all parties to participate in economic and trade cooperation, China's Commerce Minister Wang Wentao said.

World

Denmark's Frederiksen gets new chance to form government after centre-right talks fail

COPENHAGEN, May 23 (Reuters) - ⁠Denmark's King Frederik asked caretaker Prime Minister ⁠Mette Frederiksen on Saturday to make ‌a fresh attempt to form a government after centre-right talks led by Defence Minister Troels Lund Poulsen broke down.

World

Magnitude 6 earthquake strikes Hawaii’s Big Island; USGS assessing Kilauea volcano

May 22 (Reuters) - ⁠An earthquake of magnitude 6.0 struck ⁠near Honaunau-Napoopoo on the Big ‌Island of Hawaii late on Friday and the state's volcano observatory was assessing the Kilauea ​volcano, the United States ⁠Geological Survey (USGS) said.

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Russian drone kills one, wounds nine at funeral near Ukraine's Sumy, official says

KYIV, May ⁠23 (Reuters) - A Russian ⁠drone struck a funeral ‌procession on Saturday on the outskirts of the northeast ​Ukrainian city of ⁠Sumy, killing ⁠one person and injuring nine, ⁠a ‌senior local official said.

World

Republican defiance over 'anti-weaponization' fund sets up confrontation with Trump

WASHINGTON, May 23 (Reuters) - Republicans in the U.S. ⁠Congress have revolted over President Donald Trump's $1.776 billion fund for people he says were victims of government "weaponization," setting the stage for a searing battle less than six months before midterm elections.

World

Climate change threatens global plant species as habitats shrink

(This May 23 story has been repeated with no changes to ⁠the text)

World

Pope Leo decries 'dizzying' profits earned by companies that pollute

ACERRA, Italy, May 23 (Reuters) - Pope Leo on Saturday called out companies who seek "dizzying" profits at the ⁠cost of environmental pollution, on a visit to an area in Italy known as ‌a hotbed for illegal dumping of toxic waste.

World

Turkish police detain 13 in probe of opposition congress that chose ousted leader

ISTANBUL, May 23 (Reuters) - Turkish police ⁠detained 13 people under an investigation into a 2023 congress ⁠of the main opposition Republican People's Party (CHP), state media said on ‌Saturday, after a court ruling this week ousted the party's leader Ozgur Ozel, inflaming a political crisis.

World

Drone games put Ukraine's best military pilots to the test

TRUSKAVETS, Ukraine, May 23 (Reuters) - In the sky over western ⁠Ukraine, a bullet-shaped P1-SUN interceptor drone dived towards its target as dozens of soldiers looked on. A cheer went up as ⁠it cut through a tow line from another drone to a balloon, which drifted away.

World

Exclusive-Ukraine's Zelenskiy says proposal of associate EU membership 'unfair'

KYIV, May 23 (Reuters) - Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said in a ⁠letter to EU leaders that a German proposal to grant Ukraine "associate" membership of the European Union was "unfair" because it would leave Kyiv without a voice inside the bloc.

World

Thousands evacuated in Southern California due to failing chemical tank

May 22 (Reuters) - Officials ordered ⁠tens of thousands of people to evacuate their homes in the Los Angeles suburb of Garden ⁠Grove on Friday due to a failing chemical tank that was likely to either leak ‌or explode, possibly releasing toxic vapor into the air, first responders said.