27 May 2019; MEMO: Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu embarked on Sunday on what he termed a “final effort” to break a deadlock on forming a governing coalition ahead of a Wednesday deadline for a deal, Reuters reports.

In power for the past decade, Netanyahu has unexpectedly struggled to seal an agreement with a clutch of right-wing, far-right and ultra-Orthodox Jewish parties that would align with his Likud party and ensure him a fifth term following Israel’s April 9 election.

SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — North Korea on Monday called U.S. National Security Adviser John Bolton a “war monger” and “defective human product” after he called the North’s recent tests of short-range missile a violation of U.N. Security Council resolutions.

The statement by an unnamed North Korean foreign ministry spokesman came as President Donald Trump continued his visit to Japan for meetings with Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe in which the nuclear standoff with North Korea was expected to be high on the agenda.

27 May 2019; AFP: Israeli pharmaceutical giant Teva agreed on Sunday to pay the US state of Oklahoma $85 million to settle a lawsuit accusing it of fueling the state's opioid epidemic, Oklahoma's attorney general said.

The announcement comes after Purdue Pharma, maker of the opioid painkiller OxyContin -- a key driver of the crisis responsible for tens of thousands of deaths in the United States -- reached a $270 million settlement with the state in March.

27 May 2019; MEMO: The Palestinian Foreign Ministry on Monday welcomed the Czech Republic’s rejection to relocate its embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem, Anadolu reports.

In a statement, the ministry lauded the Czech “commitment to international resolutions and international law”.

On Saturday, Czech Prime Minister Andrej Babis reiterated rejection to relocate his country’s embassy in Israel, citing that the move would contradict with the stances of the EU and UN.

NEW YORK, May 26 (Xinhua) -- Kevin Cheung, vice president of a New York-based clothing firm, recently twisted his ankle and is steadily recovering from an intense burning sensation on it.

Yet there are no signs of easing of the "slow burn" that his company, Lisa International, has suffered since the United States initiated tariff disputes with China last March.

TOKYO (AP) — The Latest on President Donald Trump’s visit to Japan (all times local):

4:40 p.m.

President Donald Trump sided with North Korea’s Kim Jong Un and continued to criticize former Vice President and 2020 Democratic hopeful Joe Biden — this time on the world stage.

Trump said in response to a question at a joint press conference with the prime minister of Japan that Kim “made a statement that Joe Biden is a low IQ individual. Trump said the assessment “probably is based on his record. I think I agree with him on that.”

TOKYO (AP) — President Donald Trump said Monday that he would back the Japanese prime minister’s efforts to open communications with Iran, citing Japan’s good relations with the U.S. nemesis in the Middle East.

Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe is considering a visit to Iran next month amid rising tensions between Tehran and Washington over Iran’s nuclear program and destabilizing activities in the region.

TOKYO (AP) — President Donald Trump said Monday that he is not “personally bothered” by recent short-range missile tests that North Korea conducted this month, breaking with Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, who is hosting the president on four-day state visit full of pageantry

MEXICO CITY, May 27, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- At MIREC Week 2019, Huawei 1500V Smart PV Solution won the MIREC Technology Innovation Award. It is another world-class award following Huawei's SUN2000 15-20KTL series smart inverter winning the Intersolar Award at the Intersolar Europe 2019, and represents the worldwide recognition of Huawei FusionSolar Smart PV Solution by the solar PV industry, while fully demonstrating Huawei's crucial innovation strength.

Brussels, May 27; AFP/GANASHAKTI:  Liberals and Greens say they have broken the two centrist blocs' grip on power in the European Parliament based on a projected shift in the electoral fortunes of the four.

Liberals and Greens are now pushing harder to snag the head of the European Commission, the 28-nation EU executive, and shape key laws, such as on climate change and taxation.

MOSCOW, May 27. /TASS/: The US growing pressure on Cuba under the Helms-Burton Act contradicts international law, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov told a news conference after talks with his Cuban counterpart Bruno Rodriguez Parrilla.

"The decision, which was endorsed in Washington, drastically contradicts both international law and demands of the overwhelming majority of members of the international community," Lavrov said.

In his turn, the Cuban foreign minister noted that the Helms-Burton Act was part and parcel of the US policy of pressuring third states.

Doha, May 27 (AFP/PTI) Qatar said on Sunday that it had received an invitation from Saudi Arabia to attend emergency regional talks to discuss mounting tensions between Iran and the United States.

Riyadh had called two gatherings -- one for Arab League members, the other for Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) regional bloc nations -- after a spate of attacks.

Several tankers in Gulf waters were targeted under mysterious circumstances and a Saudi crude pipeline was hit by drone strikes coordinated by Yemen rebels who Riyadh said were acting on Iranian orders.