Iranian President killed in helicopter crash, Russia shoots down 60 Ukrainian planes, Kiev claims to still control 60% of Kharkov

Spain recalls its ambassador to Argentina, the US sets a record for sending the oldest person into space, the ICC requests the arrest of the Israeli Prime Minister and Defense Minister... are some of the notable international events in the past 24 hours.

Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei declared five days of national mourning after a plane crash killed the Iranian president, foreign minister and several senior officials on May 19. (Source: Tehran Times)

The World & Vietnam Newspaper highlights some of the day's international news highlights.

Russia-Ukraine

*Russia claims to have shot down 60 Ukrainian drones: On May 19, the Russian Defense Ministry announced that Ukraine fired nine US ATACMS missiles into Crimea and attacked Russian regions with at least 60 drones in a major attack that forced an oil refinery in southern Russia to stop operating.

According to the Russian Defense Ministry, Russian air defense forces shot down nine US ATACMS missiles over Crimea, along with 57 drones over Russia's Krasnodar region and three drones over the Belgorod region. Russia has reported an increase in Ukrainian attacks on its territory since opening a new front in Ukraine's northeastern Kharkiv region earlier this month.

Meanwhile, on May 19, the head of Ukraine's air force said that the country's military had destroyed all 37 attack drones launched by Russia during the night. (TASS/Reuters)

*Ukraine claims to still control 60% of border town in Kharkov: Speaking on national television on May 20, Deputy Governor of Kharkov region Roman Semenukha said that the Ukrainian army still controls about 60% of the town of Vovchansk in Kharkov region and is fighting hard to protect this border town from Russian attacks.

Mr Roman added that about 60% of the town is now controlled by the Ukrainian Armed Forces, which means the attacks are not stopping. Our soldiers are trying to protect every house in the town, every street.

In recent times, Russia's advance into the Kharkiv region with attacks on Vovchansk and Lyptsi has forced Ukraine to send in reinforcements - deploying troops along a 1,000 km long front line in the east and south. (Reuters)

Middle East-Africa

*Iranian President dies in helicopter crash, many countries declare national mourning: On May 20, Iranian state media confirmed that President Ebrahim Raisi and accompanying officials, including Foreign Minister Hossein Amirabdollahian, died in a helicopter crash the day before.

The cause of the accident is under investigation, but according to authorities, it may have been due to bad weather and heavy fog.

On the same day, Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei declared five days of national mourning and approved the appointment of First Vice President Mohammad Mokhber to take over Raisi's position, while Deputy Foreign Minister Ali Bagheri Kani became acting Foreign Minister.

Many countries simultaneously sent condolences to the leaders and people of Iran, including China, Russia, Vietnam, India, EU, Malaysia, Sri Lanka, Qatar, United Arab Emirates (UAE), Türkiye, Syria...

Meanwhile, Lebanon, Pakistan... declared 3 days of national mourning to commemorate the Iranian President and his entourage. (Reuters, Al Jazeera)

*Russian and Chinese foreign ministers hold talks in Astana: TASS news agency reported on May 20 that Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov held a meeting with his Chinese counterpart Wang Yi in the capital of Kazakhstan, Astana.

According to the source, Sergei Lavrov and Wang Yi held talks to discuss the implementation of Russia-China agreements reached during Russian President Vladimir Putin's state visit to China last week, as well as events in Iran after the Islamic Republic's president and foreign minister were killed in a helicopter crash on May 19. (Reuters)

*Israel announced an expanded attack on Rafah: On May 20, during a meeting with US National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan who was visiting Israel, Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant announced that the country intended to expand its attack on the city of Rafah in the southern Gaza Strip.

“We are committed to expanding our ground operations in Rafah to achieve the goal of eliminating Hamas and rescuing the hostages,” Gallant said in a statement from the Israeli Defense Ministry. (Al Jazeera)

*ICC Prosecutor Requests Arrest of Israeli Prime Minister and Defense Minister: On May 20, the Prosecutor of the International Criminal Court (ICC) - Karim Khan - said that the ICC has requested the arrest of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defense Minister Yoav Gallant on charges of "committing war crimes in Gaza".

Mr Karim Khan said he had requested the arrest of Prime Minister Netanyahu and Defence Minister Yoav Gallant on charges including "starvation", "attempted murder" and "destruction or murder".

At the same time, the prosecutor also said he had requested the arrest of top leaders of the Hamas Islamic Movement on suspicion of war crimes and crimes against humanity. (Reuters/AFP)

Asia-Pacific

*Taiwan's new leader sworn in: On May 20, Lai Ching-te was officially sworn in as leader of Taiwan (China), amid increasing tensions between the island and Beijing.

Lai Ching-te, 64, a member of Taiwan's ruling Democratic Progressive Party (DPP), succeeded Tsai Ing-wen, who has led the island for the past eight years. The inauguration ceremony took place in Taipei City. The island's new deputy leader Hsiao Bi-khim, a member of the DPP, was also sworn in there.

After taking office, Lai will deliver a speech to thousands of people outside his office, aiming to convey his policies on key issues for the island, including handling increasingly tense relations with mainland China. (Reuters)

*Philippine Senate President resigns: Local media reported that on May 20, Philippine Senate President Juan Miguel Zubiri confirmed his resignation.

In addition, Mr. Zubiri also said that his replacement as President of the Philippine Senate is Senator Francis “Chiz” Escudero.

In a message to reporters, Senate Minority Leader Joel Villanueva said the agenda for the plenary session on the afternoon of May 20 is a change in leadership. (THX/SunStar Philippines)

*Indian warships dock in Philippines: Three Indian naval ships, INS Delhi, INS Shakti and INS Kiltan, arrived in Manila, Philippines on May 19 to further strengthen the long-standing friendship and maritime cooperation between the two countries. This visit is part of the Eastern Fleet's deployment to the South China Sea.

During the visit, personnel from both navies will participate in various professional interactions, including Subject Matter Expert Exchange (SMEE), sports engagements, cultural exchanges and community outreach programmes. In addition, Indian Navy ships will also participate in the Maritime Partnership Exercise (MPX) with the Philippine Navy. (Straits Times)

*Pakistan evacuates hundreds of students from Kyrgyzstan's capital: On May 19, Pakistani Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar said that more than 650 Pakistani students have been repatriated from Kyrgyzstan, 2 days after clashes between locals and foreigners near student accommodation in the capital Bishkek injured 4 Pakistani students.

There are currently more than 11,000 Pakistanis studying across Kyrgyzstan, which is popular with medical students. On May 18, the Pakistani government summoned the Kyrgyzstan chargé d'affaires to the foreign ministry to request details of the clashes.

In an online statement, the Kyrgyz interior ministry said the “disturbance” followed an incident earlier this week when foreign students reported being harassed by “unidentified persons” in their dormitories. (The Nation)

Europe

*Russia to hold nuclear drills at appropriate timeframe: The Kremlin said on May 20 that drills involving non-strategic nuclear weapons ordered by President Vladimir Putin will be held “at appropriate timeframes” and that this is the job of the Defense Ministry.

President Putin earlier this month ordered the Russian military to practice deploying tactical nuclear weapons following what Moscow said were threats from France, Britain and the United States.

"There has been an order from the Supreme Commander-in-Chief, which will be implemented in the appropriate timeframes," Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said. (Reuters)

*Spain recalls ambassador after criticism from Argentine president: Spain on May 19 (local time) recalled its ambassador in Buenos Aires for consultation after Argentine President Javier Milei made insulting comments about the wife of Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez at a rally in Madrid.

President Milei criticized Ms. Begona Gomez for "taking bribes" at the event organized by the far-right party Vox and attended by many of the party's international allies.

Spanish Foreign Minister Jose Manuel Albares said he expected an apology from President Milei, while other ministers also condemned Milei's speech. "With his actions, Milei has brought relations between Spain and Argentina to the most serious state in recent history," Albares stressed. (France24)

*Russia will lift the ban on oil exports: RBC newspaper on May 20 quoted an informed source as saying that the Russian government has made the final decision to temporarily suspend the ban on oil exports when the market has been sleeping on supply. The Russian Ministry of Energy has confirmed this information.

Russia banned gasoline exports for six months from March 1, except for a Moscow-led economic alliance and some countries with which it has direct intergovernmental agreements on fuel supplies, such as Mongolia. (RBC)

*Russia expects all agreements with Iran to be implemented after the death of President Raisi: Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov said Moscow expects all agreements with Iran to be implemented, state news agency RIA reported on May 20.

Speaking to reporters, Deputy Minister Ryabkov also emphasized: "We affirm our commitment to close and extensive interaction on issues on both the bilateral and multilateral agendas with Iran after the death of President Ebrahim Raisi."

Earlier in the day, Iranian officials and state media confirmed that President Ebrahim Raisi and his entourage were killed in a helicopter crash in a mountainous area near the border with Azerbaijan. (Reuters/Sputniknews)

America - Latin America

*Mexico: Violence against candidates ahead of general elections: On May 19, the Electoral Institute of the state of Chiapas (IEPC) of Mexico expressed concern about the increased violence against mayoral candidates ahead of the general elections scheduled to take place early next month, and asked the government to further strengthen measures to ensure security and protect candidates.

At least 16 people from the ruling National Reconstruction Movement (Morena) and the Popular Party of Chiapas have been killed in three attacks since May 16. On May 18, an attack on a convoy carrying a Morena candidate en route to the town hall of Villa Corzo, in the La Frailesca region of Chiapas state, left three people dead and one injured.

Two days earlier, an armed group had gunned down candidate Lucero Esmeralda López Maza of the Chiapas People's Party running for mayor of La Concordia, along with six others traveling in the same car.

Mexico's upcoming general election will elect the president, 500 members of the lower house of Congress and 128 members of the Senate. It is the first time that national and local elections will be held simultaneously in all 32 states. (AFP)

*US sets record for sending oldest person into space: After a hiatus, on May 19, the space tourism service company Blue Origin of American billionaire Jeff Bezos resumed flights to take a number of explorers into space. During this flight, former US Air Force pilot Ed Dwight, over 90 years old, became the oldest person ever to fly into space.

The New Shepard NS-25 spacecraft was launched at 9:36 a.m. local time (9:36 p.m. Vietnam time) from Launch Site One in West Texas, USA. This is the 7th passenger flight into space by Blue Origin. To date, New Shepard spacecraft have carried 31 people into space.

The New Shephard spacecraft is a small, reusable rocket system that serves as a stepping stone to deeper space exploration aspirations, including the development of heavy-lift rockets and lunar landers. (CNN/Reuters)

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