13 May 2019; MEMO: Israeli NGO “Breaking the Silence” has called on Eurovision goers to experience “the full picture” of Israel’s occupation by taking a tour to the West Bank city of Hebron.

The group yesterday erected a giant billboard on a highway between Israel’s Ben Gurion Airport and Tel Aviv – where this year’s Eurovision Song Contest is being held – in a bid to highlight Israel’s now 52-year-old occupation of the Palestinian territories.

BEIJING, May 13 (Xinhua): Beijing Daxing International Airport completed its first test flight of passenger planes as four aircraft landed safely on the runway Monday morning.

China Southern Airlines, China Eastern Airlines, Air China and Xiamen Airlines sent their flagship models A380, A350-900, B747-8 and B787-9, respectively, for the test.

"The test shows that the new airport has now turned its focus from infrastructure construction to operation preparations," said Wan Xiangdong, chief pilot of Civil Aviation Administration of China.

BEIJING, May 12 (Xinhua): China will hold over 1,000 lectures on earthquake resistance and disaster relief nationwide this year as the country made persistent efforts on raising public awareness and capability of disaster reduction.

The lectures will be held in schools, government agencies, enterprises, communities and villages in forms including expert instruction, emergency first-aid training and evacuation drills, the China Earthquake Administration said on the launch ceremony of the lectures Sunday.

JERUSALEM, May 12 (Xinhua): Israeli researchers have found a method to stop the division of cells in the body, which may lead to the prevention of cancerous tumors development, said a report of the Ben-Gurion University on Sunday.

The study, published in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, is based on the chemical methylation process, an enzymatic reaction during which a methyl group CH3 is added onto DNA or proteins.

BEIJING, May 13 (Xinhua): Mobile payment, online shopping, entertainment, dining and beyond -- Chinese apps have been catching on with consumers across Asia.

App Annie, an analyst firm, said Chinese apps for e-commerce, social media and leisure have gained strong growth in Asian countries, and their users have been expanding.

In 2018, the number of downloads of shopping apps grew 54 percent compared with the figure in 2017, the firm said.

RIYADH, May 12 (Xinhua): Saudi Arabia has offered a grant of 10 million U.S. dollars to Mauritius to help the hurricane victims in the African island nation, the Arab News daily reported Sunday.

The grant was handed in the capital Riyadh by Abdullah Al-Rabeeah, supervisor-general of King Salman Humanitarian Aid and Relief Centre (KSRelief) to Shaukat Ali Soudhan, the visiting president of the ruling party of Mauritius, in order to help establish a rapid response system against a natural disaster in Mauritius.

MOSCOW, May 13. /TASS/: Sweden’s prosecution authority plans to request the extradition of WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange from Great Britain in relation to the 2010 sexual assault and rape case, Reuters reported on Monday, citing Sweden's state prosecutor.

According to the news agency, British investigators are expected to make a decision on Assange’s extradition. Reuters said they planned to summon the WikiLeaks founder once again for questioning.

The Swedish prosecution authority earlier decided to revisit the sexual assault investigation into Assange.

Manila, May 13 (AP) Filipinos began casting their vote Monday in midterm elections highlighted by a showdown between President Rodrigo Duterte's allies who aim to dominate the Senate and opposition candidates fighting for checks and balances under a leader they regard as a looming dictator.

Nearly 62 million Filipinos have registered to choose among 43,500 candidates vying for about 18,000 congressional and local posts in the high-stakes elections in one of Asia's most rambunctious democracies.

CARACAS, May 12 (Xinhua): U.S. sanctions against the state oil company Petroleos de Venezuela (PDVSA) have caused the suspension of health programs and affected patients in vulnerable situations, according to executive secretary of Venezuela's National Council of Human Rights.

In an interview with Xinhua, Larry Devoe, who is also the state agent for the International Human Rights System, said that the health programs, supported by PDVSA in conjunction with institutions in Italy and Argentina, have been blocked by the sanction measures taken by the U.S. government.

DERBY LINE, Vt. (AP) — Hundreds of border agents from across the U.S. are being temporarily transferred south ahead of the busy summer tourism season, worrying those along the northern border who rely on cross-border commerce — including U.S. innkeepers, shop owners and restaurateurs who fear their Canadian customers could be caught in backups at border crossings.

13 May 2019; DW: With just one year to go before the statute of limitations expires, Swedish prosecutors have reopened a rape case against Julian Assange. Whether the WikiLeaks founder will face trial in Sweden, now depends on Britain.

Prosecutors in Sweden said Monday they are reopening a preliminary investigation into a rape allegation against WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange.

Bhubaneswar, May 12 (PTI) The toll in Odisha due to cyclone 'Fani' sharply rose to 64, with 21 fresh casualties confirmed by the state government on Sunday.

The 'extremely severe' cyclonic storm, which made landfall in Puri with wind speed of up to 240 kmph on May 3, has left at least 241 people injured, an official said.

The toll, which was 43 till Saturday, rose to 64, as 18 more casualties were reported from the worst-hit Puri district and four more from Khurda district.