UN chief Antonio Guterres will gather international envoys at a secret location in Doha on Monday in an increasingly desperate bid to find ways to influence Afghanistan's Taliban rulers.
Considered the world's biggest humanitarian crisis by the United Nations, Guterres's quandary has been deepened by the Taliban administration's move to stop girls going to school and most women from working, even for UN agencies.
Hikes in import and export tariffs imposed by the Islamist rulers of the Gaza Strip since last year have fuelled discontent among merchants in the impoverished, blockaded territory.
In March, Gaza's Hamas rulers imposed new duties on the import of fruit and the export of fish.
Although the fruit levy was later reversed after traders went on strike, the seafood duty remains. Traders refusing to pay risk having their perishable goods stalled at crossing points from the enclave.
The latest protest against the Israeli government's controversial judicial reform plans packed central Tel Aviv on Saturday, as divisions persist before lawmakers return to parliament.
Opponents of the legislation have kept up demonstrations in the commercial hub and across the country since January, despite Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu putting the controversial reform programme on ice a month ago.
An interminable row of minibuses lines the road that separates Sudan's southeastern city of Gedaref from the Ethiopian border, slowly bringing people fleeing Sudan's war closer to safety.
There, families have been "sleeping on the ground out in the open", said Oktay Oglu, a Turkish engineer who worked at a factory in the capital Khartoum before escaping with his family.
Locals and foreigners alike have made this journey, fleeing more than two weeks of brutal fighting that pits forces loyal to rival generals against one other, with civilians caught in the crossfire.
The first Iranian evacuees to escape the Sudan conflict through Saudi Arabia arrived on Saturday in Jeddah, relieved that their country has settled its differences with the regional rival.
The 65 Iranians were among about 1,900 people on the latest boat to arrive from Port Sudan as the battle between rival Sudanese forces entered a third week.
Saudi Arabia has so far organised evacuations for about 5,000 people from 96 countries, according to the foreign ministry.
Iran's supreme leader and president both slammed the United States' presence in the Middle East, as Tehran hosted the president of neighbouring Iraq for wide-ranging talks on Saturday.
Decades-old arch enemies the United States and Iran have vied for influence in Iraq since the 2003 US-led invasion toppled dictator Saddam Hussein.
Both helped Iraq to defeat the Islamic State group, and the United States still has 2,500 non-combat troops in the country to provide it with advice and training.
A first Red Cross plane laden with humanitarian aid on Sunday landed in Sudan, where deadly clashes between rival generals' forces have entered their third week.
"The eight tonnes of humanitarian cargo includes surgical material to support Sudanese hospitals and volunteers from the Sudan Red Crescent Society," the International Committee of the Red Cross said.
Fighting erupted on April 15 between forces loyal to two rival generals, leaving over 500 people killed and thousands wounded while uprooting tens of thousands more from their homes.
Warplanes on bombing raids drew heavy fire over Khartoum as fighting between Sudan's army and paramilitaries entered a third week with the UN chief warning the country was falling apart.
More than 500 people have been killed since battles erupted on April 15 between the forces of army chief Abdel Fattah al-Burhan and his former number two Mohamed Hamdan Daglo, who commands the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF).
Qatari banker Sheikh Jassim bin Hamad Al Thani has made a third and final offer to buy Manchester United, sources told AFP on Friday.
Sheikh Jassim is in a bidding war with British billionaire Jim Ratcliffe after the pair emerged as the main contenders to buy the Premier League club from the Glazer family.
Ratcliffe is also reported to have made another offer for United ahead of Friday's deadline for the third round of bidding.
Palestinians embraced at the Egyptian border with the blockaded Gaza Strip on Friday as students returned home after fleeing the eruption of violence in Sudan.
Gaza's Crossing and Border Authority said "172 students arrived in the homeland through the Rafah border crossing, as the first batch of students coming from Sudan."
There were hugs and tears at the southern gateway to Gaza as relatives greeted young Palestinians fleeing fighting which broke out on April 15.
