Xi, Trump have private meeting in Beijing
Chinese President Xi Jinping and U.S. President Donald Trump had a private meeting on Friday in the Zhongnanhai leadership compound in central Beijing.
The meeting came before Trump concluded his state visit to China and a day after the two leaders held formal talks.
Upon Trump's arrival at Zhongnanhai, Xi warmly welcomed him. The two heads of state walked and talked, occasionally stopping to admire the trees and flowers in the garden.
Noting that Trump's visit was a historic and landmark one, Xi said the two sides had set the new vision of building a constructive China-U.S. relationship of strategic stability.
U.S. rejects Iran's 14-point peace proposal: report
The United States has rejected Iran's 14-point peace proposal to end the war and "has once again reiterated its coercive stance, particularly regarding the nuclear issue," Iranian daily newspaper Tehran Times reported on Friday.
Iran proposed a two-stage negotiation process, the paper said.
The first stage aims to end the war on all fronts, and if Iran's conditions are met, the second stage of negotiations, concerning the nuclear issue, would commence, the paper added.
Earlier this month, Iran submitted a 14-point counterproposal to the United States, calling for a permanent end to hostilities and a full withdrawal of U.S. forces from the region.
Israel, Lebanon to extend ceasefire for 45 days: U.S. State Department
Israel and Lebanon have agreed to a 45-day extension of their ceasefire that took effect last month, a spokesperson for the U.S. State Department said Friday.
"The April 16 cessation of hostilities will be extended by 45 days to enable further progress," State Department spokesman Tommy Piggott said on X.
Israel and Lebanon will resume political negotiations at the U.S. State Department on June 2-3, while their military delegates are set to launch parallel security talks at the Pentagon on May 29, Piggott said.
The two countries held their third round of direct talks here on Thursday and Friday, which Piggott described as "highly-productive."
24 killed as Russian strike hits apartment building: Kiev
A total of 24 people, including three children, were killed on Thursday after a Russian strike hit a nine-story apartment building in Kiev during a massive drone and missile attack, the Ukrainian State Emergency Service said Friday.
According to the agency, 48 others were injured in the attack, which caused a section of the residential building in the Darnytskyi district to collapse.
During a rescue operation that lasted for more than 28 hours, emergency workers cleared more than 3,000 cubic meters of debris from the destroyed structure.
Overnight into Thursday, Russia launched 675 drones and 56 missiles at Ukraine, with Kiev being the main target, said the Ukrainian Air Forces. Air defense units shot down 652 drones and 41 missiles.
3 killed in Israeli strikes on Gaza City; Israel targets senior Hamas commander
Three Palestinians were killed and 26 others injured on Friday in Israeli airstrikes on Gaza City, Palestinian medical sources said, as Israel said it struck a senior Hamas military commander.
Local sources and witnesses said Israeli warplanes fired at least three missiles at an apartment in the Al-Mu'taz building in western Gaza City, setting the apartment on fire.
Medics told Xinhua that emergency teams transferred one body and 20 injured people to the Al-Saraya Field Hospital run by the Palestinian Red Crescent Society.
In a separate incident, local sources said an Israeli drone struck a moving vehicle on Al-Wehda Street in Gaza City, killing two people and injuring six others.
Peru to hold presidential runoff after no candidate wins majority
Peru will hold a presidential runoff after no candidate won more than 50 percent of the vote in the April 12 election, according to results released Friday by the National Office of Electoral Processes.
With all ballots counted, Keiko Fujimori of the right-wing Popular Force party led with 17.18 percent of the vote, followed by Roberto Sanchez of the left-wing Together for Peru party at 12.03 percent. Rafael Lopez Aliaga of the far-right Popular Renewal party ranked third with 11.9 percent.
Under Peruvian electoral law, a presidential candidate must win more than 50 percent of the vote in the first round to be elected. If no candidate reaches the threshold, the top two candidates advance to a second round. The runoff is scheduled for June 7, with the candidate receiving the most votes elected president.
Peru held presidential and legislative elections on April 12 to choose a new president, vice presidents, members of both chambers of Congress, and representatives to the Andean Parliament, for a term running until 2031.
Most crew members aboard MV Hondius to undergo quarantine in Rotterdam upon arrival
THE HAGUE, May 15 (Xinhua) -- The Dutch government announced on Friday that the hantavirus-hit cruise ship MV Hondius is expected to arrive at the Port of Rotterdam next Monday, with most crew members set to undergo a six-week quarantine in Rotterdam, the Netherlands.
"Rotterdam has been designated in the Netherlands as the port for the handling of infectious diseases in shipping," according to a letter sent to parliament on Friday and signed by Sophie Hermans, Dutch minister of health, welfare and sport, and Tom Berendsen, the country's foreign minister.
According to Oceanwide Expeditions, the Dutch operator of the vessel, there are currently 27 people on board, including 25 crew members and two medical personnel. The group consists of 17 Filipinos, four Dutch nationals, four Ukrainians, one Russian, and one Polish national.
The ministers said that some crew members would enter home quarantine upon arrival, while those unable to return immediately to their home countries would be housed in designated quarantine facilities.■
