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Displaced Syrians fear Turkish threats spell new exodus

Syria's grinding conflict has already uprooted Ahmed Yassin and his family several times, but now they fear a threatened Turkish offensive will force them to flee the muddy camp they call home.

The 34-year-old, his wife and two children live in Sandaf in Syria's Aleppo province -- just south of the border with Turkey, and under the control of Turkish-backed rebels.

"Making a living is hard," the labourer told AFP in the impoverished camp, as sheep grazed on the roadside nearby.

Turkish-backed Syrian fighters keep watch on the front line with Kurdish forces in Tal Rifaat, awaiting orders from Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on whether to proceed with a threatened ground offensive

Israel strikes Gaza after rocket fired from enclave

The Israeli air force said it had carried out overnight air strikes against sites of the Islamist movement Hamas in the Gaza Strip after a rocket was fired from the Palestinian enclave towards Israeli territory.

The Israeli army reported on Saturday evening a rocket had been fired from the Gaza Strip towards Israel, the first in a month.

The attack came as one of Gaza's larger armed factions, Islamic Jihad, threatened to retaliate after Israeli troops killed two of its leaders in the West Bank town of Jenin on Thursday.

The Israeli air force has carried out overnight air strikes in the Gaza Strip

OPEC+ to keep output unchanged in uncertain climate

Major oil-producing countries led by Saudi Arabia and Russia agreed Sunday to maintain their current output levels in a climate of uncertainty and ahead of fresh sanctions against Moscow coming into force next week.

The representatives of the thirteen members of the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) led by Riyadh, and their 10 allies headed by Moscow, decided to stick to their course agreed in October of a production cut of two million barrels per day until the end of 2023.

 Amid economic gloom fuelled by soaring inflation and fears of China's weaker energy demand, the two global crude benchmarks remain close to their lowest level of the year

Dior showcases fashion in shadow of Egypt's pyramids

French fashion house Dior on Saturday held its first show at Egypt's ancient Giza pyramids, presenting its 2023 fall men's collection in the shadow of the millennia-old tombs.

Dwarfed by the vast Giza necropolis -- their imposing ridges illuminated by white light for the show -- models showcased the collection titled "Celestial".

Saturday's show was the second by a European fashion house to use Ancient Egyptian heritage sites as a backdrop this year.

In October, Italian designer Stefano Ricci showcased his most recent collection at the Temple of Hatshepsut in Luxor.

Models are seen against Egypt's Giza Pyramids at show by French fashion house Dior

Gaza militants fire rocket into Israel amid West Bank unrest

Palestinian militants fired a rocket from Gaza into Israel Saturday without causing any casualties, the army said, as a surge in violence grips the occupied West Bank.

There was no immediate claim for the attack, the first in a month according to the army.

However, one of Gaza's larger armed factions, Islamic Jihad, had threatened to retaliate after Israeli troops killed two of its leaders in the West Bank town of Jenin on Thursday.

Israeli forces fan out in the West Bank town of Huwara after the fatal shooting of a Palestinian in disputed circumstances on Friday

Protest-hit Iran says reviewing mandatory headscarf law

Iran said Saturday it is reviewing a decades-old law that requires women to cover their heads, as it struggles to quell more than two months of protests linked to the dress code.

Protests have swept Iran since the September 16 death in custody of Mahsa Amini, a 22-year-old Iranian of Kurdish origin arrested by the morality police for allegedly flouting the sharia-based law.

Iranians join a pro-government rally in Tehran on October 5, 2022 to condemn anti-government protests over the death of Mahsa Amini

US navy says seizes ammunition en route from Iran to Yemen

The US Navy said Saturday it had seized one million rounds of ammunition along with rocket fuses and propellant being smuggled on a fishing trawler from Iran to war-torn Yemen.

The cargo was discovered on Thursday "during a flag verification boarding", the Bahrain-based United States Fifth Fleet said in a statement, noting it was the "second major illegal weapons seizure within a month" along the maritime route.

"This significant interdiction clearly shows that Iran's unlawful transfer of lethal aid and destabilising behaviour continues," Vice Admiral Brad Cooper said.

A fishing trawler intercepted by the US Navy was reportedly carrying 'significant' amounts of ammunition bound for Yemen, pictured in this US handout photograph

Thousands of Islamists protest UN mission in Sudan

Thousands of Islamists in Sudan rallied Saturday against efforts by the United Nations to solve the political crisis sparked by last year's coup, AFP journalists said.

The demonstrations, the latest by Islamist factions in recent weeks, came one day after military leaders and a key civilian bloc announced plans to sign an initial deal.

Political turmoil has gripped Sudan since army chief Abdel Fattah al-Burhan led an October 2021 military takeover, derailing a fragile transition to civilian rule installed after the 2019 ouster of long-time Islamist autocrat Omar al-Bashir.

Sudanese protesters deploy a giant national flag, as they march outside the UN headquarters in Khartoum on December 3

Tunisia union chief slams elections as pointless

Tunisia's powerful UGTT trade union chief took aim Saturday at legislative elections due later this month, claiming they serve no purpose in light of constitutional reforms that neutered political parties.

President Kais Saied last year sacked the government and suspended parliament, then this year extended his power grab with a constitutional referendum marred by an official turnout of barely 30 percent.

Noureddine Taboubi, of Tunisia's General Labor Union (UGTT), has rejected national legislative elections due later this month

Iran's hijab law under review: attorney general

Iran's parliament and the judiciary are reviewing a law which requires women to cover their heads, and which triggered more than two months of deadly protests, the attorney general said.

The demonstrations began after Mahsa Amini, a 22-year-old Iranian of Kurdish origin, died in custody on September 16 after her arrest by Iran's morality police for an alleged breach of the dress code.

Iranians join a pro-government rally in Tehran on October 5, 2022 to condemn anti-government protests over the death of Mahsa Amini