UNITED NATIONS, May 31 — The situation in Gaza is the worst since the war between Israel and Hamas began 19-months ago, the United Nations said on Friday, despite a resumption of limited aid deliveries in the Palestinian enclave where famine looms.

CAPE TOWN, May 31 — South African President Cyril Ramaphosa has signed a proclamation for the establishment of a judicial commission of inquiry to determine whether attempts were made to prevent the investigation and prosecution of apartheid-era crimes.

HAMILTON (Canada), May 31 — US President Donald Trump announced a major increase on Friday in tariffs on steel and aluminium imports, doubling the rate from 25 per cent to 50 per cent, in what he described as a move to further protect American industry.

WASHINGTON, May 30 — United States President Donald Trump today said China had violated an agreement with the US to mutually roll back tariffs and trade restrictions for critical minerals and issued a new veiled threat to get tougher with Beijing.

TOKYO/BEIJING/LONDON, May 30 — Universities around the world are looking to offer refuge for students impacted by United States President Donald Trump’s crackdown on academic institutions, targeting top talent and a slice of the billions of dollars in academic revenue in the US.

PARIS, May 30 — France will ban smoking on beaches, in parks, outside schools and in other locations to protect children, Health and Families Minister Catherine Vautrin said.

NEW YORK, May 30 — Former Goldman Sachs banker Tim Leissner was sentenced to two years in prison by a judge in a New York court on Thursday after playing a key role in a multi-billion dollar scandal involving Malaysia's sovereign fund 1MDB.

WASHINGTON, D.C., May 30 — A federal appeals court temporarily reinstated the most sweeping of President Donald Trump's tariffs on Thursday, a day after a US trade court ruled that Trump had exceeded his authority in imposing the duties and ordered an immediate block on them.

WASHINGTON, May 29 — United States Secretary of State Marco Rubio announced yesterday that the US will start “aggressively” revoking visas of Chinese students, including those with connections to the Chinese Communist Party or studying in critical fields.

RAMALLAH, May 29 — Israel’s government has approved 22 new Jewish settlements in the occupied West Bank, its finance minister said today, a move that could deepen divisions with allies who have threatened sanctions over such moves.

TOKYO, May 29 — Oil prices rose on Thursday after a United States (US) court blocked President Donald Trump's tariffs from taking effect, while the market was watching out for potential new US sanctions curbing Russian crude flows and an OPEC+ decision on hiking output in July.

NEW YORK, May 29 — A United States (US) trade court has blocked President Donald Trump's tariffs from going into effect in a sweeping ruling that the president overstepped his authority by imposing across-the-board duties on imports from nations that sell more to the US than they buy.

WASHINGTON, May 29 — United States (US) Secretary of State Marco Rubio said they will start revoking visas of Chinese students, including those with connections to the Chinese Communist Party or studying in critical fields.

VANNES, May 29 — A retired French surgeon who sexually abused hundreds of young patients, many of them children, over more than two decades, received a 20-year jail sentence on Wednesday, in France's worst ever child abuse case to go to trial.

ISTANBUL, May 29 — The Palestinian group Hamas has announced that it had reached an agreement with United States (US) Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff on a general framework for a permanent ceasefire in the Gaza Strip, Anadolu Ajansi reported.

JAKARTA, May 29 — Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto has called on Israel to recognise the sovereignty of Palestine as an independent state, stating that such a move would pave the way for Indonesia to establish formal diplomatic relations with Israel.

PRAGUE, May 28 — The Czech Republic has claimed that China was responsible for a "malicious cyber campaign" targeting a network used for unclassified communication at the Foreign Affairs ministry, and summoned the Chinese ambassador to condemn the incident.

MEXICO CITY, May 28 — Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum has reiterated her pledge to defend the country's independence and sovereignty from interference by the United States (US), Xinhua reported.

SINGAPORE, May 28 — Asean has to step up, work together, and fashion a place for itself in this changed world or risk losing its relevance, said Singapore Prime Minister Lawrence Wong after concluding his visit to Malaysia for the 46th Asean Summit and Related Summits.

WASHINGTON, May 28— United States (US) President Donald Trump's administration has ordered its missions abroad to stop scheduling new appointments for student and exchange visitor visa applicants as the State Department prepares to expand social media vetting of foreign students, according to an internal cable seen by Reuters on Tuesday.