Ninth China-Russia Expo to be held in Yekaterinburg: spokeswoman

The ninth China-Russia Expo is going to be held in the Russian city of Yekaterinburg from July 7 to 10, said Commerce Ministry spokeswoman He Yongqian at a press briefing held in Beijing on Thursday.

The spokeswoman noted that the event aims at strengthening bilateral exchanges and cooperation between enterprises and cities of the two countries, as well as promoting bilateral trade cooperation.

"With the theme of 'Steady progress of pragmatic cooperation between China and Russia', this year's expo will feature five exhibition areas -- one each for China's central government, local cooperation, economic and trade cooperation, industrial projects, and cultural tourism consumption. Over 300 Chinese enterprises have registered for the exhibition, showcasing products in various fields including machinery and electronics, agriculture, healthcare, digital economy and new energy. Preparations for exhibitor recruitment, booth setup and event organization are now in the final stages," said He.

"During the expo, the two sides will also hold multiple economic and trade promotion activities to create a platform for cooperation between cities and industries of the two countries. Friends from all walks of life at home and abroad are welcomed to actively engage in the 9th China-Russia Expo, deepening mutual understanding through this exhibition platform and sharing development opportunities," she said.

The China-Russia Expo is a major platform for developing bilateral trade and economic relations and strengthening subnational and business exchanges. Its host city alternates between the two countries.

Ninth China-Russia Expo to be held in Yekaterinburg: spokeswoman

The death toll from a landfill collapse in the central Philippine city of Cebu has risen to eight by Monday morning as search and rescue operations continued for another 28 missing people.

The landfill collapse occurred on Thursday as dozens of sanitation workers were working at the site. The disaster has already caused injuries of 18 people.

Family members of the missing people said the rescue progress is slow, and the hope for the survival of their loved ones is fading.

"For me, maybe I’ve accepted the worst result already because the garbage is poisonous and yesterday, it was raining very hard the whole day. Maybe they’ve been poisoned. For us, alive or dead, I hope we can get their bodies out of the garbage rubble," said Maria Kareen Rubin, a family member of a victim.

Families have set up camps on high ground near the landfill, awaiting news of their relatives. Some people at the site said cries for help could still be heard hours after the landfill collapsed, but these voices gradually faded away.

Bienvenido Ranido, who lost his wife in the disaster, said he can't believe all that happened.

"After they gave my wife oxygen, my kids and I were expecting that she would be saved that night because she was still alive. But the night came and till the next morning, they didn't manage to save her," he said.

Death toll in central Philippine landfill collapse rises to eight