China

South Korea has unveiled a $19 billion stimulus package to support its microprocessor industry and boost the competitiveness of Samsung Electronics and SK Hynix.

China has launched large-scale military exercises around Taiwan in response to the inauguration of Taiwanese President Tsai Ing-wen, which Beijing views as separatist activity, while Taiwan has deployed troops and tracked Chinese movements to defend its territory.

China imposed sanctions on 12 American arms manufacturers and their executives for allegedly selling weapons to Taiwan and ignoring China's position on the “Ukrainian crisis.

British Defense Secretary Grant Sheps accused China of providing or preparing to provide lethal assistance to Russia for use in the war against Ukraine, citing US and British intelligence data.

US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken said that China provides huge support to Russia's military-industrial base by importing machine tools and microelectronics, which allows the Russian Federation to produce tanks and ammunition at a record pace, despite the fact that it does not directly supply weapons for the war in Ukraine.

A 37-year-old former British Marine accused of spying for Chinese intelligence has been found dead in a park near London under unclear circumstances.

Dutch microchip maker ASML has told the US that it may remotely turn off chip-making equipment at Taiwan's TSMC plant if China invades the island.

The Vatican wants to open a permanent mission in China to improve diplomatic relations with Beijing, Vatican secretary of state Cardinal Pietro Parolin said in a statement.

The Russian draft UN resolution on the prohibition of weapons in outer space did not receive the necessary votes in the 15-member Security Council.

Today, on May 21, fans of tea traditions, as well as lovers of this tonic drink in many countries around the world, can join the International Tea Day. It is believed that tea began to be cultivated thousands of years ago in eastern India, northern Myanmar, and southwestern China.

China has successfully launched four high-resolution optical remote sensing satellites called Beijing-3C into Earth orbit using a Long March-2D rocket.

Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi and other officials were killed in a tragic helicopter crash. The EU countries expressed their condolences, among others.

China has imposed sanctions on three more American defense companies - Boeing's defense and space division, General Atomics Aeronautical Systems, and General Dynamics Land Systems - for supplying weapons to Taiwan.

Taiwan's new president, Lai Ching-teh, called on China to stop its political and military intimidation of Taiwan and work together to maintain peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait and the region.

Almost 300 foreign-made microelectronics components were found in North Korean missiles by KFI specialists, said Oleksandr Ruvin.

Georgia passed a controversial law on "foreign agents" despite massive protests, triggering potential US sanctions against officials responsible for undermining democracy.

Apple plans to release a thinner and more expensive iPhone model, codenamed D23, along with the iPhone 17 in September 2025, while discontinuing the cheaper iPhone Plus and releasing a new iPhone SE in the spring of 2025.

China imposes sanctions on three American companies - General Atomics Aeronautical Systems, General Dynamics Land Systems, and Boeing Defense, Space & Security - for selling weapons to Taiwan, bans them from trading with and investing in China, and bans their executives from entering the country.

Iran and the United States held indirect talks in Oman to discuss ways to avoid escalation of regional attacks.

The Houthis attacked a tanker carrying oil from Novorossiysk to China with an anti-ship missile. The strike caused flooding, which disabled the engines and steering unit, but the crew was able to regain control of the ship and continue to move.

Ukraine expects the participants of the Global Peace Summit to jointly develop an action plan on free navigation, nuclear and energy security, as well as the exchange of prisoners and the return of deported children.

In a telephone conversation, Chinese President Xi Jinping assured President Volodymyr Zelenskyy that China supports Ukraine's territorial integrity.

Zelenskyy says that there is an absurd situation where the West is afraid that Russia will lose the war and does not want Ukraine to lose it.

Russia's offensive in Ukraine could consist of several waves, the first of which would be directed at the Kharkiv region, where Russian troops advanced but were eventually stopped by Ukrainian forces.

A Ukrainian drone attack caused a fire and an emergency shutdown of the tuapse oil refinery in russia, damaging the liquefied natural gas unit but leaving the crude oil distillation unit intact.

Ukraine is working to involve China at the highest level in the upcoming Peace Summit, as China is an influential country that can influence the aggressor Russia, said the head of the Presidential Office, Andriy Yermak.

Oil prices stabilized, with Brent rising for the first time in three weeks due to positive economic data from China and the US, which increased expectations of demand growth, while the decline in global crude and oil product inventories contributed to positive demand sentiment.

Many of the goods used by Russia to manufacture weapons are produced by order of companies of the sanctions coalition in third countries.

Putin said that Russia's actions in the Kharkiv region are aimed at creating a "sanitary zone" in response to Ukrainian shelling and rejected plans to seize Kharkiv.

Brazilian President Lula da Silva will not attend the Peace Summit on Ukraine, as he sees no "point" in participating in an event that does not involve the two conflicting parties.