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'Remedy against fear': Israel satirists tackle war

For Israeli comedians, the collective trauma of Hamas's deadly attacks on October 7 and the ensuing war has tested the limits of what it is possible to joke about.

"Eretz Nehederet" ("A Wonderful Land") has been a staple of primetime TV for 20 years -- a pitch-black sketch show along the lines of "Saturday Night Live" or "The Daily Show" in the United States.

After the October attacks, in which Israel says 1,200 people were killed and 240 taken hostage, the show went off the air for three weeks.

An actor plays Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on the set of satirical sketch show 'Eretz Nehederet'

Nobel winner Mohammadi to go on new hunger strike as peace prize is awarded

Nobel Peace Prize winner Narges Mohammadi will go on a new hunger strike from her prison cell in Iran as the prize is awarded in Oslo on Sunday in her absence, her family said Saturday.

Mohammadi, who has campaigned against the compulsory wearing of the hijab and the death penalty in Iran, will go on hunger strike "in solidarity" with the Baha'i religious minority, her brother and husband told a press conference in the Norwegian capital on the eve of the Nobel award ceremony.

Narges Mohammadi has not seen her children for eight years

Israelis on edge as fears grow of wider Lebanon conflict

In the seaside haven of Nahariya, the shock still lingers on Daniel Bussidan's face. A recent rocket attack killed his friend's father, and now this Israeli beach town, the closest to Lebanon, stands on edge.

"I'm scared from the attack," said the 26-year-old who works in his father's pastry shop on the Mediterranean resort's eucalyptus-lined main street.

His friend's father was killed when a rocket struck his farm while he was working, Bussidan told AFP.

"He died on the spot," Bussidan said.

There are plenty of rifles slung over people's shoulders in Nahariya

Israel vows to 'press harder' in Gaza after US blocks UN ceasefire

Gazans sought refuge in bombed-out hospitals as Israel vowed to "press harder" in its war with Hamas on Saturday, a day after the United States blocked a ceasefire bid at the United Nations.

Aid groups say Gaza faces an "apocalyptic" humanitarian situation and is on the verge of being overwhelmed by disease and starvation.

At least 17,700 people, mostly women and children, have died in two months of fighting in the narrow strip of territory, according to the latest figures from Gaza's health ministry.

A ball of fire rises above a building during an Israeli strike in Rafah

Progress but divisions persist as climate summit fights over fossil fuels

A UN climate summit in Dubai made progress Saturday but deep divides persisted, negotiators said, following a last-minute push by the OPEC oil cartel to block a phase-out of fossil fuels.

OPEC drew outrage from green-minded countries and activists when it joined Saudi Arabia and called on members to block an emerging declaration that would seek to wind down extraction of the oil, coal and gas which are fuelling the climate emergency.

Nations are divided over the fate of fossil fuels

Israel strikes Gaza after failed UN ceasefire bid

Israel pressed its offensive against Hamas militants in Gaza on Saturday after the United States blocked an extraordinary UN bid to call for a ceasefire in the two-month war.

Hamas and the Palestinian Authority swiftly condemned the US veto as the Hamas-run health ministry put the latest death toll in Gaza at 17,487 people, mostly women and children.

An Israeli strike on the southern city of Khan Yunis killed six people, while five others died in a separate attack in Rafah, the ministry said Saturday.

Northern Gaza has been decimated by Israeli bombardments

US vetoes Security Council resolution calling for Gaza ceasefire

The United States on Friday vetoed a UN Security Council resolution that would have called for an immediate ceasefire in the intense fighting between Israel and Hamas in Gaza.

Washington dashed a growing clamor for an immediate ceasefire that had been led by UN chief Antonio Guterres and Arab nations.

American envoy Robert Wood said the resolution was "divorced from reality" and "would have not moved the needle forward on the ground."

Deputy US Ambassador to the UN Robert Wood said Washington opposes an immediate ceasefire in Gaza

Putin says he will run for re-election in 2024

Russian President Vladimir Putin announced Friday that he would run for re-election in 2024, allowing the Kremlin leader to extend his decades-long grip on power into the 2030s.

The 71-year-old has led Russia since the turn of the century, winning four presidential ballots and briefly serving as prime minister in a system where opposition has become virtually non-existent.

The announcement came at a set-piece Kremlin event for army personnel, including those who have fought in the military offensive in Ukraine that Putin ordered in February last year.

Putin will not face any major challengers in the 2024 vote, analysts say

US vetoes UN ceasefire bid as battles rage across Gaza

An extraordinary UN bid to call for a ceasefire in Gaza was blocked by the United States on Friday while Israeli forces continued a relentless offensive to destroy Hamas after its deadly attack two months ago.

The fighting has left 17,487 people dead in the Palestinian territory, mostly women and children, according to the latest toll from the Hamas-run health ministry.

Northern Gaza has been decimated by Israeli bombardments

UN talks look for deal on winding down fossil fuels

Negotiators strived for a compromise on phasing out fossil fuels at UN climate talks Friday as momentum gathered to strike a historic deal in Dubai.

After the arrival of ministers for the summit's final stretch, a new draft was released with more options on the most difficult part of an emerging deal -- cutting fossil fuels to tame the planet's soaring temperatures.

The third version of the draft, which represents views of various countries, offers five options. One that remains from previous versions calls for not mentioning fossil fuels at all.

Negotiations over phasing out fossil fuels are at the heart of the UN climate conference in Dubai