More than 300 pallets of humanitarian aid were delivered to the Gaza Strip for the first time using a temporary floating pier on Friday (17 May), the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said in a statement. "For the first time since the establishment of the temporary floating pier, Friday IDF supported the transfer of 310 pallets of humanitarian aid into Gaza for distribution," the IDF said on Telegram.

Heavy clashes and bombardment Saturday (18 May) rocked Gaza`s southern city of Rafah as the Israeli military announced the first humanitarian aid had entered the besieged territory via a US-built pier. The military said its air forces "struck over 70 targets" across the Gaza Strip over the past 24 hours while ground troops "continue precise operations" in eastern Rafah. More than 10 days into what the Israeli military called a "limited" operation in Rafah that sparked an exodus of Palestinians sheltering there, fighting between Israeli forces and Palestinian Hamas has also flared again in Gaza`s north.

Vietnam`s Communist Party has nominated public security minister To Lam to be the country`s new president, state media said Saturday (18 May), after his predecessor resigned as part of a sweeping anti-graft purge. Thousands of people -- including top officials and senior business leaders -- have been caught up in the Southeast Asian country`s "blazing furnace" crackdown on graft, led by Communist Party General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong.

The Beijing talks between President Vladimir Putin of Russia and Xi Jinping of China were very successful, Kremlin Aide Yury Ushakov told TV journalists. "The environment was very friendly and the leaders were in a good mood. They held a very successful conversation so when a small group of us sat down to lunch, the atmosphere was completely relaxed. This kind of atmosphere helps people understand each other better, making jokes and telling stories. Basically, the chemistry got stronger," Ushakov said in an excerpt of an interview posted on Zarubin`s Telegram channel.