MANILA, May 29 — The International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) called for a ceasefire and unimpeded humanitarian access to the Gaza Strip today, where millions of people face worsening hunger.

YUNNAN, May 29 — Chinese researchers have recently discovered a large number of early Cretaceous dinosaur footprints in Konglongshan Town, Lufeng of southwest China's Yunnan Province.

BANGKOK, May 29 — Thailand's attorney-general will indict former prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra for allegedly insulting the monarchy, an official said on Wednesday, in a setback to a political heavyweight whose loyalists are currently in government.

KYOTO, May 29 — Japanese researchers said Tuesday that they have successfully constructed the world's first wooden satellite, with the tiny cube-shaped object expected to be sent into space aboard a SpaceX rocket launched from the United States, possibly in September, Kyodo news agency reported.

THE HAGUE, May 29 — Dick Schoof, a top Dutch civil servant, has been named as new prime minister of the Netherlands, the four political parties involved in forming a right-wing government announced on Tuesday, Xinhua reported.

LONDON, May 29 — Oil prices rose on Wednesday on expectations major producers will maintain production cuts at a meeting this Sunday at the same time fuel consumption should begin rising with the start of the peak summer demand season.

JOHANNESBURG, May 29 — South Africans vote on Wednesday in the most competitive election since the end of apartheid, with opinion polls suggesting the African National Congress (ANC) will lose its parliamentary majority after 30 years in government.

LONDON, May 28 — Ireland officially recognised a Palestinian state today, the government said in a statement, defying Israel, which had condemned the plan.

SINGAPORE, May 28 — Singapore is ready to work closely with Malaysia in support of the latter’s Asean Chairmanship next year.

ATHENS, May 28 — The European Union (EU) is discussing possible sanctions on Israel if it refuses to comply with the International Court of Justice's (ICJ) ruling, which ordered it to immediately halt its military campaign in the city of Rafah.

SYDNEY, May 28 — Asian shares held a mixed tone today after rallying the previous session, as rising bets of an imminent European rate cut helped risk appetite ahead of some key inflation data.

MOHENJO DARO, Pakistan, May 28 — Temperatures rose above 52 degrees Celsius in Pakistan’s southern province of Sindh, the highest reading of the summer and close to the country’s record high amid an ongoing heatwave, the met office said yesterday.

HOUSTON, May 28 — Tornado-spawning thunderstorms that swept the Southern Plains and the Ozark Mountains have killed at least 21 people across four US states as of yesterday afternoon and wrecked hundreds of buildings, as forecasters warned of more severe weather.

CAIRO/JERUSALEM, May 28 — An Israeli airstrike triggered a fire that killed 45 people in a tent camp in the Gazan city of Rafah, officials said yesterday, prompting an outcry from global leaders who urged the implementation of a World Court order to halt Israel's assault.

SEOUL, May 27 — Leaders of South Korea, Japan and China reaffirmed their commitment to pursuing denuclearisation of the Korean Peninsula during their summit in Seoul today, hours after the North announced a satellite launch plan, reported Yonhap News Agency.

SYDNEY, May 27 — More than 2,000 people were buried alive by a massive landslide in Papua New Guinea (PNG) last week, the national disaster centre said today, as treacherous terrain and the difficulty of getting aid to the site raises the risk few survivors will be found.

KUALA LUMPUR, May 27 — At least 300 million children become victims of online sexual exploitation and abuse annually, according to researchers from the University of Edinburgh, as quoted by international media.

SEOUL, May 27 — Chinese Premier Li Qiang praised what he called a restart in relations with Japan and South Korea as he met their leaders for the first three-way talks in four years in Seoul today, striving to revive trade and security dialogues hampered by global tensions.

DHAKA, May 27 — Authorities in Bangladesh have evacuated hundreds of thousands of people to safety as a tropical cyclone in the Bay of Bengal made landfall in the country’s southern coast, officials said on Sunday.

CAIRO, May 27 — Israeli air strikes killed at least 35 Palestinians and wounded dozens in an area in the southern Gaza Strip city of Rafah designated for the displaced, Palestinian health and civil emergency service officials said.