US President Donald Trump tempered expectations of a Middle East deal by saying on May 24 he had told his negotiators not to “rush”, even after both Tehran and Washington signalled signs of progress towards an agreement to end the war.
The United States and Iran have observed a ceasefire since April 8 while mediators push for a negotiated settlement, although Iran has imposed controls on Gulf shipping and the US has blockaded Iran’s ports.
The war erupted after the United States and Israel attacked the Islamic republic on Feb 28, and Iran responded with missile and drone attacks across the region.
Iran’s Lebanese ally Hezbollah attacked Israel on March 2 after US-Israeli strikes killed Iran’s supreme leader.
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PHOTO: REUTERS
China launched its Shenzhou-23 mission on May 24, which will see a Chinese astronaut spend a full year in orbit for the first time, a crucial step in Beijing’s ambition to send humans to the Moon by 2030.
The Long March 2-F rocket blasted off in a cloud of flames and smoke on time at 11.08pm from the Jiuquan launch centre in China’s north-western Gobi Desert, video from state broadcaster CCTV showed.
The spacecraft separated from the rocket around 10 minutes later and entered orbit, the Chinese space agency said on social media.
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PHOTO: REUTERS
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio accused Hezbollah in a statement on May 24 of trying to plunge Lebanon “back into chaos.”
Mr Rubio denounced what he called Hezbollah’s “reckless call to overthrow Lebanon’s democratically elected government” and said the pro-Iran armed group was “actively trying to drag Lebanon back into chaos and destruction.”
Mr Naim Qassem, the leader of Hezbollah, said earlier that “the people have the right to go down onto the streets and to bring down the government” in response to Israeli strikes and US sanctions on the Al-Qard Al-Hassan financial institution.
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PHOTO: REUTERS
Forensic experts on May 24 sifted through the ruins of a dormitory largely destroyed in what Russian authorities say was a Ukrainian drone attack in Ukraine’s Luhansk region, seized and placed under Russian control in the four-year-old war.
The authorities said search operations concluded late on May 23 and put the death toll in the strike on the teacher training college at 21, many of them young women.
The building’s facade was gashed by gaping holes and smashed windows. Piles of twisted metal and concrete lay outside the building looking onto what was once a courtyard, with wrecked desks and cupboards piled up inside.
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PHOTO: AFP
Arsenal celebrated their coronation as Premier League champions for the first time in 22 years with a 2-1 win over Crystal Palace on May 24 at a sun-drenched Selhurst Park.
Victory on the final day capped a remarkable season in which Mikel Arteta’s side finished with 85 points, seven clear of second-placed Manchester City, who lost 2-1 to Aston Villa.
Goals from Gabriel Jesus and Noni Madueke gave Arsenal their 26th win of the season while Jean-Philippe Mateta headed home late for Palace in what was Oliver Glasner’s final home game in charge of the London club.
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