01 Feb 2019; DW: More than 50 major organizations on Friday accused European Union leaders of having "allowed themselves to become complicit in the tragedy unfolding before their eyes" in the Mediterranean, saying more than 5,300 people have died over the past two years.

WASHINGTON, Jan. 31 (Xinhua) -- The latest round of China-U.S. trade talks made important progress for the current stage, and the two sides had candid, specific and constructive discussions, the visiting Chinese delegation said here on Thursday.

London, Feb 1 (PTI) Nearly 4.2 million people around the world die every year within 30 days after surgery, more than than those who die from HIV, tuberculosis, and malaria combined, according to a study.

The analysis, published in a research letter to The Lancet journal, found that half of the post-operative deaths occur in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs).

WASHINGTON, Jan. 31 (Xinhua) -- U.S. President Donald Trump on Thursday met with Chinese Vice Premier Liu He at the White House, saying major progress was made in the latest round of U.S.-China trade talks.

Liu, also a member of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China Central Committee and chief of the Chinese side of the China-U.S. comprehensive economic dialogue, led the Chinese delegation for the two-day trade talks that concluded on Thursday in Washington.

01 Feb 2019; AFP: A US negotiator called Thursday on North Korea to provide a detailed account of its weapons to seal a peace deal, saying President Donald Trump was ready to offer a future that includes diplomatic relations and economic aid.

Trump is set to hold a second summit with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un in around a month and said Thursday that he would announce the exact date and venue early next week.

CAIRO, Jan. 31 (Xinhua) -- The Cairo-based Arab League (AL) welcomed on Thursday the formation of a new Lebanese government and expressed strong support for the new cabinet.

AL Secretary-General Ahmed Aboul-Gheit praised the efforts of Lebanese President Michel Aoun and Prime Minister Saad al-Hariri to form the new unity government after nine months of deadlock, according to AL spokesman Mahmoud Afifi.

01 Feb 2019; AFP: There were 161 jobs for every 100 jobseekers on average last year in Japan, the highest ratio since 1973, highlighting the labour shortage in the world's third-largest economy and its ageing society.

According to labour ministry data released on Friday, the ratio was even higher in December, at 163 jobs available for every 100 people looking for work.

Dallas, Feb 1 (AP) Catholic leaders in Texas on Thursday identified 286 priests and others accused of sexually abusing children, a number that represents one of the largest collections of names to be released since an explosive grand jury report last year in Pennsylvania.

Fourteen dioceses in Texas named those credibly accused of abuse.

The only diocese not to provide names, Fort Worth, did so more than a decade ago and then provided an updated accounting in October.

BRASILIA, Feb. 1 (Xinhua) -- Mining giant Vale, owner of the iron-ore tailings dam that collapsed in Brazil's southeast Minas Gerais state, said Thursday that it was seeking an out-of-court settlement with the regional government.

Vale CEO Fabio Schvartsman met with Brazil's General Prosecutor Raquel Dodge in the capital Brasilia to discuss compensating the hundreds of families affected by the disaster in the rural town of Brumadinho.

31 Jan 2019; DW: Lebanese Prime Minister Saad Hariri announced the formation of a national unity government in Beirut Thursday. The announcement came some nine months after the country held its first parliamentary elections in nine years last May.

New Delhi, January 31; GANASHAKTI: The Polit Bureau of the Communist Party of India (Marxist) has issued the following statement: 

New Delhi, Jan 31 (PTI) The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) on Thursday said Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu will travel to India for a short working visit whose details were being worked out.

Sources said the visit could be just for a few hours.

MEA Spokesperson Raveesh Kumar, at a media briefing, said, "We have agreed to receive the prime minister of Israel for a short working visit to India. The dates and other details of the visit are still being worked out."