JERUSALEM/CAIRO, May 26 — The head of a United States-backed foundation set to supply aid in Gaza quit unexpectedly yesterday, a day before the group was due to begin operations, as an Israeli airstrike on a school building killed dozens of Palestinians sheltering inside.

TOKYO, May 26 — The euro jumped along with risk-sensitive currencies like the Australian dollar today after President Donald Trump backed down from threatened 50 per cent duties on European Union shipments from June 1, after the bloc asked for time to "reach a good deal".

ISTANBUL, May 26 — UN World Food Programme (WFP) executive director Cindy McCain warned yesterday that half a million people in Gaza are "extremely food insecure" and at risk of famine, urging the international community to step up efforts to deliver humanitarian aid on a large scale, Anadolu Ajansi reported.

KYIV, May 26 — Russian forces launched a barrage of 367 drones and missiles at Ukrainian cities overnight, including the capital Kyiv, in the largest aerial attack of the war so far, killing at least 12 people and injuring dozens more, officials said.

KUALA LUMPUR, May 24 — The Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) has lambasted the ongoing Israeli blockade of humanitarian aid to Gaza, describing the actions of the Zionist regime as a "war crime".

BEIJING/TAIPEI, May 24 — Nvidia will launch a new artificial intelligence chipset for China at a significantly lower price than its recently restricted H20 model and plans to start mass production as early as June, said sources familiar with the matter.

KUALA LUMPUR, May 24 — Vietnamese Prime Minister Phạm Minh Chính's official visit to Malaysia from May 24 to May 28 is expected to further strengthen bilateral ties and Asean solidarity, said Vietnam’s Ambassador to Malaysia Đinh Ngọc Linh.

WASHINGTON, May 24 — A federal judge has temporarily blocked the United States (US) government's plan to exclude foreign students from the elite Harvard University, reported the German News Agency (dpa).

JAKARTA, May 24 — Indonesia plans to announce economic stimulus measures on June 5 to revive activity and boost consumer purchasing power, hoping to push economic growth to around five per cent this quarter, the Coordinating Ministry of Economic Affairs said today.

PARIS, May 24 — France has detected four cases of the new Covid-19 variant NB.1.8.1 for the first time.

WASHINGTON, May 24 — The Trump administration issued orders on Friday that it said would effectively lift sanctions on Syria, after United States (US) President Donald Trump pledged to unwind the measures this month to help the country rebuild after a devastating civil war.

SYDNEY, May 24 — The body of a man was found in a car trapped in floodwaters in Australia's southeast on Friday, raising the death toll to four, after three days of incessant rain cut off entire towns, swept away livestock and destroyed homes.

ISTANBUL, May 23 — United States (US) President Donald Trump has said that trade talks with the European Union (EU) “are going nowhere” and proposed a 50 per cent tariff on EU goods, effective from June 1.

SINGAPORE, May 23 — Singapore Prime Minister Lawrence Wong led the swearing-in of the Cabinet for the new term of government at the Istana today, following the People’s Action Party’s (PAP) resounding victory at the May 3 general election.

CHERNIHIV REGION, May 23 — Russia and Ukraine each released 390 prisoners on Friday and said they would free more in the coming days, in what is expected to be the biggest prisoner swap of the war so far.

CAIRO/JERUSALEM, May 23 — Israeli airstrikes killed at least six Palestinians guarding aid trucks against looters, Hamas officials said on Friday, underlining the problems hindering supplies from reaching hungry people in Gaza following Israel's 11-week-long blockade.

MOSCOW, May 23 — Moscow’s work on a memorandum concerning the Ukraine crisis is at an advanced stage, and a second round of talks with Kyiv is expected, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said on Thursday, the TASS news agency reported.

SINGAPORE, May 23 — Travellers driving through the Singapore-Malaysia land checkpoints during the upcoming June school holidays, particularly over the Hari Raya Aidiladha weekend from June 6 to June 9, should expect “very heavy” traffic and extended waiting times.

SEPANG, May 23 — The Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) is ready to work more closely with Asean to improve security and to keep the region safe and stable.

CAIRO, May 23 — The first aid deliveries have reached the population of the Gaza Strip after an almost three-month blockade by Israel, during which humanitarian organisations warned of acute levels of hunger, German Press Agency (dpa) reported.