Fighting between two rival generals has spread to cities in war-ravaged Sudan's south, witnesses said Friday, raising concerns for hundreds of thousands who have fled violence in the Darfur region.
The vast western region has seen some of the worst bloodshed since the conflict erupted on April 15 between the army under General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) commanded by Mohamed Hamdan Daglo.
A cat cafe in the Gaza Strip aims to "cheer up" Palestinian residents and offer them a respite from the trials of daily life in the blockaded territory, its owner said.
At the Meow Cat Cafe which opened this week in Gaza City, owner Nehma Maabad set out food for a clowder of kittens.
"Cats, for me, are a refuge that relieves me of psychological stress. So I thought of creating a project that combines serving people with something to cheer them up," said the 50-year-old.
Martin Scorsese has backed a petition against the jailing of prominent Iranian movie director Saeed Roustaee for screening a film at the Cannes Film Festival.
Scorsese, the Oscar-winning director of "Taxi Driver" and "Goodfellas," reposted a campaign launched by his daughter Francesca this week after news of Roustaee's prison sentence emerged.
"Please sign this petition to bring justice to Saeed," Scorsese wrote on Instagram.
An Iranian journalist said Thursday she had no regrets over posting a picture of herself without a headscarf in defiance of Iran's dress laws, sharing a similar image following her latest release from jail.
Nazila Maroufian last year interviewed the father of the young Iranian woman Mahsa Amini whose death in police custody sparked months of protests.
She walked out of Tehran's Evin prison on Sunday after more than a month behind bars, posting on social media a picture of herself without a headscarf and the slogan "Don't accept slavery, you deserve the best!".
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Thursday inaugurated the first light rail service in Tel Aviv, Israel's economic hub turned epicentre of mass protests against his hard-right government.
The long-awaited rail network will connect the coastal city's northeastern suburb of Petah Tikva with Bat Yam to the south, a distance of 24 kilometres (15 miles).
Thursday's ceremony went ahead without the presence of Tel Aviv Mayor Ron Huldai, who is part of the protest movement.
Israel said the United States on Thursday approved the "landmark" sale of the Arrow 3 hypersonic missile defence system to Germany in the country's biggest military deal, worth $3.5 billion.
The Arrow 3 system -- designed to shoot down ballistic missiles above the Earth's atmosphere -- is jointly developed and produced by Israel and the United States.
Israel's defence ministry said the US State Department had notified it of the US government's approval for Germany to procure the Arrow 3 system.
Iran's top diplomat preached unity and dialogue during a visit to Saudi Arabia on Thursday, his first since the two Middle East rivals announced a surprise rapprochement in March.
Hossein Amir-Abdollahian also took the opportunity to reiterate the Islamic republic's support for the Palestinian cause at a time when Riyadh is in discussions with the United States about potentially normalising ties with Israel.
Israeli forces on Thursday killed a Palestinian militant and shot a health worker during a raid on the occupied West Bank city of Jenin, Palestinian and Israeli officials said.
The West Bank has seen a surge in violence since early last year, with a string of attacks by Palestinians on Israeli targets, repeated Israeli army raids and violence by Jewish settlers against Palestinian communities.
Israel said the United States on Thursday approved the "landmark" sale of the Arrow 3 hypersonic missile defence system to Germany, in the country's biggest military deal worth $3.5 billion.
The Arrow 3 system -- an interceptor designed to shoot down ballistic missiles above the Earth's atmosphere -- is jointly developed and produced by the Israel and the United States.
Israel's defence ministry said in a statement the US State Department had notified it of the US government's approval for Germany to procure the Arrow 3 system.
Climate change has impacted the Middle East and North Africa where summer is already very hot. Many in Iraq, Syria, Tunisia and Saudi Arabia still labour in the heat.
- A tool of the trade in Syria -
Heat is a tool of the trade for blacksmith Murad Haddad in the city of Idlib in northwest Syria.
"We make everything by hand here. We get up early to try to avoid the extra heat we're exposed to as well as the flames," the 30-year-old told AFP.
