US Secretary of State Marco Rubio warned Tuesday that Syria could be weeks away from a fresh civil war of "epic proportions," as he called for support to the transitional leadership.

The top American diplomat blamed a resurgence of the Islamic State extremist group in areas outside of the transitional government's control, as well as Iran.

He told a US Senate hearing that the government, "given the challenges they're facing, are maybe weeks -- not many months -- away from potential collapse and a full-scale civil war of epic proportions, basically the country splitting up."

The Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) has said Turkey should ease prison conditions for its founder Abdullah Ocalan, declaring him the group's "chief negotiator" for any future talks after a decision to disband.

A spokesman for the Kurdish group, blacklisted as a "terrorist" organisation by Ankara and its Western allies, told AFP in an interview on Monday that Turkey has not yet provided guarantees for a peace process, and expressed objection to exiling PKK members.

The mother of jailed Egyptian-British activist Alaa Abdel Fattah announced on Tuesday that she was returning to a full hunger strike to protest against her son's lengthy imprisonment in Egypt.

Laila Soueif, 69, eased her strike in March after UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer said he had "pressed" for Fattah's release in a call with Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi.

She began consuming 300 calories a day through a liquid nutritional supplement but still went without food.

Twin Gazan filmmakers Arab and Tarzan Nasser said they never thought the title of their new film "Once Upon A Time In Gaza" would have such heartbreaking resonance.

"Right now there is nothing left of Gaza," Tarzan said when it premiered Monday at the Cannes film festival.

Since militants from the Palestinian group Hamas attacked Israel on October 7, 2023, Israel's retaliatory offensive in Gaza has ravaged large swathes of the Palestinian territory and killed tens of thousands of people.

Iran's supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said Tuesday that nuclear talks with the United States were unlikely to yield any results, amid a diplomatic standoff over the Islamic republic's enrichment activities.

"We don't think it will lead to any outcome. We don't know what will happen," said Khamenei during a speech, adding that denying Iran's right to enrich uranium was "a big mistake".

Or Sinai didn't have to go far to find the subject of her acclaimed debut film about the secret lives of the millions of women who support their families back home by being domestic workers abroad.

She was chatting to the "wonderful Ukrainian woman" who looks after her mother, who has Parkinson's Disease, when the housekeeper started telling her about the lover she had taken.

"I realised that our view of migrant women is so wrong," she told AFP at the Cannes film festival, where "Mama" is being shown in the official selection.

France is "determined" to recognise a Palestinian state, its foreign minister said on Tuesday, condemning Israel for the "indefensible" situation in Gaza created by its military campaign and humanitarian blockade.

Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot also reaffirmed that Paris backed a Netherlands-led initiative for a review of the cooperation agreement between the European Union and Israel, which could affect political and economic ties.

Dissident Iranian director Jafar Panahi vowed Tuesday to keep defying his country's rulers after showcasing a hard-hitting film in Cannes about political prisoners and their torturers.

After a travel ban was lifted, the 64-year-old flew to the Cannes Festival for the first time in 15 years for the premiere of "It Was Just An Accident".

It was applauded for more than eight minutes on its debut and is a likely strong contender for the festival's top prize which will be awarded on Saturday.

European countries ramped up pressure on Israel to abandon its intensified campaign in Gaza and let more aid into the war-ravaged territory, where rescuers said Wednesday new attacks killed at least 19 people.

Israel said 93 trucks had entered Gaza from Israel on Tuesday but the United Nations said the aid had been held up.

The UN announced Monday that it had been cleared to send in aid for the first time since Israel imposed a total blockade on March 2, sparking severe shortages of food and medicine.

At first glance, the Instagram profile of Ms Rachel fits the image an influencer who has won millions of devoted subscribers for her sing-songy educational content for toddlers and parenting tips.

In a pink hairband and denim dungarees, the 42-year-old mother-of-two doles out advice on potty training kids and moral support for struggling parents -- always with a reassuring smile.