TOKYO -- Japan's ruling coalition of Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) and its partner Japan Innovation Party is expected to secure a majority of seats in the House of Representatives in Sunday's general election, public broadcaster NHK said, citing its exit poll.
Based on exit polls and other analyses, the ruling bloc is projected to win between 302 and 366 seats, meeting its target of securing a majority of 233 seats, NHK said. (Japan-General Election)
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TEHRAN -- Iran's Foreign Minister Seyed Abbas Araghchi said Sunday that indirect talks will continue if Iran comes to the conclusion that the United States has the "necessary seriousness" to reach a negotiated solution to Tehran's nuclear issue.
He made the remarks at a press conference in Tehran while elaborating on the indirect nuclear talks held on Friday between the Iranian and U.S. delegations in the Omani capital Muscat, according to the official news agency IRNA. (Iran-U.S.-Talks)
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BEIJING -- For the first time, scientists have confirmed that the impact cratering rates on the near and far sides of the moon are essentially consistent, laying a solid basis for the establishment of a globally unified lunar chronology system, according to the Science and Technology Daily.
A research team led by the Chinese Academy of Sciences' Institute of Geology and Geophysics successfully revised the decades-old lunar impact crater chronology model by analyzing remote sensing images. (China-Moon-Chronology)
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KABUL -- At least eight people were killed when a gas cylinder exploded inside a residential home in Afghanistan's capital Kabul, the city's governor's office said in a statement on Saturday evening.
According to the statement, the incident occurred in Police District 21 when a family was using a gas heater to warm their home during cold winter weather. The cylinder exploded due to a gas leak, resulting in the fatalities. (Afghanistan-Gas-Incident)
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MILAN -- Italy "cannot participate" in the U.S.-proposed Board of Peace as its charter conflicts with Italy's Constitution, Italian Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani said Saturday.
In an interview with Italy's ANSA news agency, Tajani said the board's charter posed "insurmountable" legal conflicts with Article 11 of the country's Constitution, which precludes Italy from joining organizations unless there are "conditions of equality with other states." (Italy-Board of Peace) ■
