WASHINGTON, April 22 (Xinhua) -- The U.S. Navy said Monday that it is currently operating two carrier strike groups in the Mediterranean Sea, in a rare flex of muscle unseen since 2016.

"The John C. Stennis CSG joined the Abraham Lincoln CSG in the Mediterranean, providing a unique opportunity for two strike groups to work together alongside key allies and partners in the U.S. 6th Fleet area of operations," the U.S. Navy said in a statement.

SAMARA, April 23. /TASS/. Russian-developed system Neurochat, which allows the power of thought to control devices and go online and surf the world web, began to be batch-produced this year, the project’s director, Natalya Galkina, said at the presentation of the system in Samara on Tuesday.

WASHINGTON (AP) — The financial condition of the government’s bedrock retirement programs for middle- and working-class Americans remains shaky, with Medicare pointed toward insolvency by 2026, according to a report Monday by the government’s overseers of Medicare and Social Security.

It paints a sobering picture of the programs, though it’s relatively unchanged from last year’s update. Social Security would become insolvent in 2035, one year later than previously estimated.

SINGAPORE (AP) — Asian stocks mostly rose Tuesday and oil prices soared to their highest level since October after the U.S. said it would soon impose sanctions on all buyers of Iranian oil.

Japan’s Nikkei 225 index closed 0.2% higher at 22,259.74 and the Kospi in South Korea added 0.2% to 2,220.51. Hong Kong’s Hang Seng added 0.2% to 30,007.65. Australia’s S&P ASX 200 gained 1% to 6,319.40. The Shanghai Composite bucked the regional trend, falling 0.1% to 3,210.77.

Shares rose in Taiwan, Thailand and Indonesia, but fell in Singapore.

LONDON, April 22 (Xinhua) -- Prime Minister Theresa May is to face an unprecedented vote of no confidence in her leadership, another one since December, from her grassroots supporters within the Conservative Party in an attempt to oust her over her handling of Brexit, British media reported on Monday.

According to the BBC, more than 70 bosses of local Conservative associations have signed a petition calling for an extraordinary general meeting, with May's position at the top of the agenda.

OLYMPIA, Wash. (AP) — Washington appears set to become the first state to allow a burial alternative known as “natural organic reduction” — an accelerated decomposition process that turns bodies into soil within weeks.

The bill legalizing the process, sometimes referred to as “human composting,” has passed the Legislature and is headed to the desk of Democratic Gov. Jay Inslee.

COLOMBO, April 23 (Xinhua) -- The death toll from a string of explosions that rocked Sri Lanka on Sunday rose to 310 while over 500 were injured, the police said Tuesday.

Another minor explosion occurred in Kochchikade in the capital Colombo on Monday evening when the Bomb Disposal Squad was attempting to defuse an explosive device found in an abandoned vehicle, causing no injuries.

Police spokesperson Ruwan Gunasekara said so far 26 suspects have been arrested from across the country and search operations were ongoing to nab more suspects.

BERN, Switzerland, April 21 (Xinhua) -- China's Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) is a fundamental task crucial for generations to come, which, when implemented smoothly, will bring many benefits to both the economic development and the well-being of the people worldwide, President Ueli Maurer of the Swiss Confederation has said.

In a joint interview with Chinese media, Maurer said BRI has created a new dimension for the development of world economy, which as such a long-term strategic plan is rarely seen so far.

Istanbul, Apr 22 (AFP) Turkish police on Monday arrested nine people, including a member of the ruling AKP party, after a mob attack on opposition leader Kemal Kilicdaroglu that sparked widespread criticism.

Kilicdaroglu, 70, of the Republican People's Party (CHP) was assaulted on Sunday in a crowd as he attended a funeral in Ankara for a soldier killed fighting Kurdish militants in the southeast.

PORAC, Philippines (AP) — A new powerful earthquake hit the central Philippines on Tuesday, a day after 6.1 quake hit the country’s north and killed at least 11 people.

The U.S. Geological Survey put the magnitude of Tuesday’s quake at 6.4, while the local seismology agency said it was a 6.5. The quake was centered near San Julian town Eastern Samar province and prompted residents to dash out of houses and office workers to scamper to safety.

There were no immediate reports of casualties or major damage from the new quake.

22 Apr 2019; DW: Anyone who can offer information that would help the US disrupt Hezbollah's finances could get a $10 million reward. The US wants information on donors, as well as businesses controlled by the Shiite militant movement.

The United States on Monday offered a reward of up to $10 million (€8.9 million) for information that would allow the US to disrupt the finances of Lebanon's Shiite militant movement Hezbollah.

ANKARA; 23 Apr 2019; AA: Bodies of two Turkish citizens, who lost their lives in Sri Lanka bombings, have been brought to Turkey, a diplomatic source said on Tuesday.

Bodies of Serhan Selcuk Narici and Yigit Ali Cavus will be sent to their hometowns -- Istanbul and Adiyaman -- for funerals, said the source, who asked not to be named due to restriction on speaking to media.