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Death toll in China highway collapse climbs

At least 24 people were killed

BEIJING, May 1. /TASS/. At least 24 people were killed when a section of a mountainside highway collapsed in Guangdong province in south China, Xinhua said.

Earlier, the news agency reported 19 fatalities and 30 injured.

The incident occurred overnight on Wednesday with 18 vehicles falling into a massive gash in the forested mountainside below the highway. Some cars caught fire in the process.

Local authorities said that the collapse may have been triggered by heavy rains that pounded the province last week.

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Military operation in Ukraine

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Negotiations being held with several countries

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The Russain leader "stressed that he knew Ebrahim Raisi well and thought highly of him as a reliable partner who made an invaluable personal contribution to expansion of friendly relations between Russia and Iran"

Kronshtadt submarine joins Russian Navy

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On May 19, a helicopter carrying the Iranian president crashed in Iran's East Azerbaijan Province

US rejects ICC’s legitimacy but uses it against enemies — Russian ambassador

"This is yet another example of double standards and a parade of American hypocrisy," Anatoly Antonov said

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Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi called for joint efforts in the interests of "fairer and more reasonable global governance"

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According to Governor Vyacheslav Gladkov, the incident occurred close to the checkpoint of the settlement of Oktyabrsky in the Belgorodsky district

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It is reported that the Ukrainian military uses the Ptakhi Madyara group of UAV (unmanned aerial vehicle) operators who try to remove discovered mines from rivers

President, Foreign Minister of Iran die in helicopter crash — Red Crescent

The helicopter carried Governor of the East Azerbaijan Province Malek Rakhmati and Tabriz Imam of Friday Prayer Mohammad Ali Ale-Hashem

Envoy to Russia preaches patience in Raisi helicopter crash investigation

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Russian forces reach Gulyapole’s suburbs in Zaporozhye Region

Russian force have advanced to about 1.5 kilometers and are now in Gulaypole’s suburb

Slovak PM conscious, capable of communicating — hospital administration

An armed attack on Robert Fico took place in the western Slovak town of Handlova on May 15

European, US strategy on Ukraine fails completely — top Hungarian diplomat

Peter Szijjarto added that the sanctions have had a major impact on the European economy, and that Western European countries, which are "super proud that they got rid of Russian energy resources," are actually buying them indirectly

Nuclear drills to be held 'in due time' — Kremlin spokesman

Earlier, the Russian Defense Ministry said that on instructions from President Vladimir Putin the General Staff had begun preparations for an exercise to be held in the near future involving missile units of the Southern Military District, aircraft and naval ships

Ukrainian forces unprepared to withstand Russian offensive near Kharkov — newspaper

It also emphasized that Russia had "a huge advantage in artillery shells," adding that "depleted Ukrainian air defenses" were unable to counter Russian air power

Ukraine peace brokers should take note Zelensky’s legitimacy expired — Russia’s UN envoy

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Medvedev says Kissinger ‘completely wrong’ about main threat to humanity

Dmitry Medvedev stressed that "subtle considerations about preventing existential threats do not work during bloody conflicts"

Russia’s military superiority over Ukraine to grow, European intelligence thinks

The intelligence sources insist that Russia is purportedly planning to create a 1.5 mln-strong regular army by 2026 because it expects a standoff with NATO

World misses new opportunity to prevent arms race in space due to US, says diplomat

The United States once again demonstrated "real priorities in space aimed not at keeping it free of any weapons but at placing weapons in outer space and turning it into an arena of a military confrontation," Maria Zakharova stressed

Starlink’s failure helps Russian army take Kiev forces by surprise in Kharkov Region — WP

In addition, Ukrainian forces were facing ammunition shortages due to a stalled US aid package

US Congress considers sanctions against ICC — House Speaker Johnson

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Russian forces cut off ammunition supplies to Ukrainian forces in Volchansk — lawmaker

Viktor Vodolatsky also said the liberation of Staritsa would make it possible to reduce to a minimum and later completely remove the threat of bombardments for the Belgorod Region

DPR collects evidence of Kiev's war crimes in Donbass — regional head

Denis Pushilin emphasized that the regional authorities have tried to appeal to international human rights organizations, but to no avail

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"Tanks delivered fire from a distance of 800 meters under constant enemy shelling," Russia’s Defense Ministry reported

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West alarmed over plummeting support for Zelensky — Russian intelligence

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The Mausoleum of Imam Reza is located in Mashhad, the hometown of Raisi, a center of pilgrimage and one of the main shrines of the Shiites

Swiss 'pseudo-conference' on Ukraine peace settlement has no 'added value' — UN envoy

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Zelensky usurps power in Ukraine, Medvedev says

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Denis Pushilin noted that the exhibition presents only a small part of what has been destroyed by Russian troops

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It is reported that several thousand people are taking part in the procession

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The top Russian diplomat pointed to the fact that Chinese President Xi Jinping "clearly articulated that the Chinese side will support the convention of an international conference, which will reflect the interests of both Russia and Ukraine equally and will be based on a large number of ideas and initiatives"

Szijjarto calls 'crazy' statements by European politicians about sending troops to Ukraine

The Hungarian foreign minister believes that "everything must be done in order to avoid any kind of direct confrontation between NATO and Russia"

Kiev insists on unattainable demands for settlement — expert

According to Peter Kuznick, Professor of History and Director of the Nuclear Studies Institute at American University, Zelensky’s approval rating has dropped to approximately 60%, because "the Ukrainians are tired of war"

Ukrainian troops leave positions in eastern Paraskoviyevka near Ugledar, says DPR

According to adviser to the DPR head Igor Kimakovsky, the Ukrainian military abandoned most of the bodies of dead soldiers in the combat area

Russia creates sanitary zone to protect its cities from Ukrainian shelling — Kremlin

On May 17, Putin explained the Russian military's offensive in the direction of Kharkov by the Ukrainian military’s continued shelling of residential areas in the border regions, including Belgorod

Russia urges US to abandon destructive policy course on CTBT — Zakharova

According to Russian Foreign Ministry Spokeswoman Maria Zakharova, "the experiment does not contradict Russia’s understanding of a ‘subcritical’ test and therefore does not violate the provisions of the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty or the US moratorium on nuclear tests"

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Russia’s envoy to UN exposes Western lies in UNSC after Blinken’s visit to Kiev

Vasily Nebenzya said that this was not the only example of lies or understatements by Western representatives

Turkish drone discovers potential fragments of Raisi’s helicopter — Anadolu

The IRGC Commander Lieutenant General Hossein Salami confirmed it

Kiev deems dead fighters missing to avoid removing bodies from battlefield — Ukrainian POW

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Ukraine’s Zelensky should be tried for war crimes, DPR head says

Denis Pushilin pointed out that it was Zelensky who gave criminal orders and took a position that seriously endangered both the residents of Donbass and the population of the rest of Ukraine

Macron must know that Kiev uses French weapons to commit war crimes — diplomat

According to Miroshnik, the Russian foreign ministry calls for bringing Ukraine’s leadership to responsibility "for violating the norms and principles of humanitarian law"

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Nikolay Azarov pointed out that the Ukrainian constitution was crystal clear about the five-year presidential term

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Iran to hold extraordinary presidential election on June 28 — Election Headquarters

According to Mohsen Eslami, "The Guardian Council was asked to start registering [presidential] candidates before May 28"

Netanyahu accuses ICC of anti-Semitism, distorting reality

It is aimed against the Israel Defense Forces soldiers who are heroically fighting against vile Hamas, Netanyahu said

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Kiev recognizes regular arms supplies won’t tip balance on frontline — Kremlin

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Venezuela on its way to joining BRICS — Maduro

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Putin spent 2 hours in meeting to help look for Raisi’s helicopter, Iranian envoy says

The Russian president said Moscow stood "shoulder to shoulder" with Tehran, Kazem Jalali said

Sending NATO instructors to Ukraine without Russia’s consent dangerous — expert

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China lodges protests with South Korea, Japan over Taiwan visit

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Russia to rely not on 'Western guarantees' but on its army — Medvedev

"Any newly-minted Fuhrer' of the Ukrainian Reich is capable of tearing it up at any moment for opportunistic reasons," the politician noted

Russian troops destroy 9,700 artillery guns in Ukraine operation — top brass

Russian Battlegroup North units kept advancing deep into the Ukrainian army’s defenses in the Kharkov area over the past day

Russian troops leveling out frontline in Kharkov area — local administration

Volchansk is strategically important and that it why the Ukrainian army is bringing in "very serious forces" and "trying to counterattack," Vitaly Ganchev said

UNSC fails to adopt Russia’s draft resolution on preventing arms race in outer space

Seven out of 15 UN Security Council members, including Russia and China, voted in favor of the resolution, while seven voted against and Switzerland abstained

West to push for Ukraine deal on their terms, Russia won't bend — Medvedev

Earlier, Russian President Vladimir Putin stressed that Russia, unlike the Ukrainian side, had never rejected any negotiations

ICC prosecutor requests arrest warrants for three Hamas leaders — statement

The prosecutor also requested arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Galant

China appreciates Putin's position on Taiwan — Foreign Ministry

As Wang Yi clarified, Putin reaffirmed his commitment to the "One China" principle in a speech after his election victory

Israeli foreign ministry sets up crisis center over potential ICC warrant for PM

Israel Katz also noted that he plans to get in touch with his counterparts from leading countries to recruit their support against the ICC

Russia keeping tabs on US nuclear activity in Nevada, senior diplomat says

According to Sergey Ryabkov, Moscow has been registering "all public signals coming from the US administration regarding this"

Lavrov welcomes Xi Jinping's proposal for Ukraine conference

The ministers discussed the results of Russian President Vladimir Putin's state visit to China

Press review: Political fallout from Raisi's death and Zelensky's term officially over

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ICC not to stop Israel, Netanyahu says

The document said that based on the evidence gathered, the prosecution has reasonable grounds to believe that both "bear criminal responsibility for the <…> war crimes and crimes against humanity committed on the territory of the State of Palestine (in the Gaza Strip) from at least October 8, 2023"

Moscow expects implementation of agreements with Tehran — senior Russian diplomat

Sergey Ryabkov emphasized that Russia and Iran would continue to develop their relationship gradually, including in terms of the tasks of "strengthening security"

Russia lifts ban on export of gasoline from May 20 to June 30 — decree

The decision was made taking into account the saturation of the domestic market for motor fuel, preventing a decrease in refining volumes at individual oil refineries due to overstocking of motor gasoline

Russia says its paratroopers seized Ukrainian strongpoint near Andreyevka

"Having demoralized the enemy with accurate strikes from grenade launchers and, having suppressed its firepower, the paratroopers under the cover of night entered the enemy stronghold," the Russian Defense Ministry said

Ukrainians have long lived in unlawful state — Medvedev

"They have not lived in a state of law before and now everything will stay as it is," the politician said

Lavrov to attend meeting of SCO foreign ministers

The ministers will also consider candidates for new SCO secretary general and director of the executive committee of the SCO Regional Anti-Terrorist Organization

Rasisi’s helicopter passenger twice called to say he was feeling bad — senior diplomat

"Shortly after the accident, we managed to speak with Tabriz’s Friday Prayer Imam," Iranian Deputy Foreign Minister Mahdi Safari said