The US and Iran stuck to opposing stances on May 21 over Tehran’s uranium stockpile and controls on the Strait of Hormuz, although US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said there had been “some good signs” in talks.
US President Donald Trump said the US will eventually recover Iran’s stockpile of highly enriched uranium – which Washington believes is destined for a nuclear weapon though Tehran says it is intended purely for peaceful purposes.
“We will get it. We don’t need it, we don’t want it. We’ll probably destroy it after we get it, but we’re not going to let them have it,” Mr Trump told reporters at the White House.
Mr Rubio told reporters a diplomatic solution would be unfeasible if Tehran implemented a tolling system in the Strait of Hormuz. But he added that there had been some progress in talks.
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A fire broke out at the JA Plus hotel in Thailand’s Pattaya at around 9pm (10pm Singapore time) on May 21, with many people reportedly trapped inside the building and local media reporting scenes of panic.
Firefighters rushed to the scene as flames spread through the hotel, while rescue teams worked to bring those stranded inside to safety.
It took an hour or so for the blaze to be extinguished, according to reports.
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PHOTO: EPA
Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko on May 21 dismissed any notion that Belarus would be dragged into the Ukraine war, but said Russia and Belarus would jointly defend themselves in case of aggression, Belarusian state news agency BELTA reported.
Mr Lukashenko was also quoted by BELTA as saying that he was ready to meet Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, who has repeatedly suggested that Belarus could become further involved in the more than four-year-old conflict.
Mr Lukashenko made his remarks during joint nuclear exercises with Russia which he and Russian President Vladimir Putin observed via a video conference.
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PHOTO: REUTERS
A spiral segment of the Eiffel Tower’s original staircase sold for more than €450,000 (S$667,800) at auction in Paris on May 21.
The buyer, who was in the auction room, became the owner of a 14-step section of staircase that stands 2.7m (9 feet) tall, weighs 1.4 tonnes and dates back to 1889, the year the monument that towers over central Paris was completed.
“When you buy a piece of the Eiffel Tower, you’re buying a piece of Paris, along with all the imagination and symbolism it represents,” said Ms Sabrina Dolla, Art Deco design director at Artcurial Paris auction house where the sale took place.
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A “shocked” Harry Maguire has been omitted from Thomas Tuchel’s England World Cup squad which is set to be unveiled on May 22 at Wembley Stadium.
The Manchester United central defender has won 66 international caps and been a mainstay of England’s back line at recent tournaments.
Maguire announced the news in an emotional Instagram post on May 21.
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