Forty years after the discovery of HIV, AFP looks at how far we have come in fighting a deadly virus that was once shrouded in fear and shame but is now treated as a manageable chronic condition.

- 1981: First alert -

In June 1981, US epidemiologists report five cases of a rare form of pneumonia in gay men in California.

It is the first alert about Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome (AIDS), still unknown and unnamed.

Doctors then identify "opportunistic infections" among intravenous drug users and in haemophiliacs and Haitian residents in the United States.

Syria's President Bashar al-Assad cemented his return to the Arab fold Tuesday when leading Sunni power Saudi Arabia, which long supported Syria's opposition, said its diplomats would resume work in the country.

The restoration of diplomatic ties, later confirmed by Damascus, came more than a decade after Riyadh withdrew its representatives during Syria's civil war, and two days after the Arab League bloc ended Syria's years-long suspension.

The war between Sudan's generals is having increasingly severe consequences for civilians, with a doubling over the past week of the number uprooted from their homes, the United Nations said on Tuesday.

Hundreds have been killed so far. New worries emerged as separate ethnic clashes claimed at least 16 lives in the country's south, and a powerful group in the east -- so far untouched by the war -- demonstrated in support of the army.

More than 700,000 people are now internally displaced by battles since April 15, according to the International Organization for Migration.

Calls grew Tuesday for a halt of an auction of jewels that belonged to Austrian billionaire Heidi Horten whose German husband made his fortune under the Nazis.

Calling the auction in Geneva, which opened online last week and begins in person on Wednesday "indecent", the Representative Council of Jewish Institutions in France (CRIF) called for proceedings to be suspended.

Lionel Messi's uninspiring two-year stint at Paris Saint-Germain is set to come to an acrimonious end with a move to join long-time rival Cristiano Ronaldo in Saudi Arabia, just months after his crowning glory at the 2022 World Cup.

For his legions of admirers, the debate about Messi's right to be regarded as the greatest footballer in history was officially put to bed when he led Argentina to the title in Qatar in December.

But his career at the highest level in Europe appears to have finished on a low note.

Oil giant Saudi Aramco announced first-quarter net profit of $31.9 billion on Tuesday, down 19.25 percent from a year earlier after a drop in crude prices.

The result was lower than the $39.5 billion reported in the same period in 2022, when Russia's invasion of Ukraine caused oil prices to surge.

It is more than three-quarters of the $40.5 billion in combined first-quarter profits reported by the five oil majors: BP and Shell in Britain, ExxonMobil and Chevron in the United States, and TotalEnergies in France.

A series of Israeli strikes in the Gaza Strip on Tuesday killed three Islamic Jihad militant group leaders and 12 other people, leaving both sides bracing for an escalation.

Islamic Jihad vowed to "avenge" the deaths, which came in a pre-dawn raid involving 40 Israeli aircraft, while Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu warned "our enemies" of a "crushing response" to any escalation.

The first Israeli strike hit targets in the crowded coastal territory for nearly two hours starting just after 2:00 am (2300 GMT Monday).

Haydar Mohamed once grew wheat and barley, but Iraq's relentless drought has forced him off the land and into the city where he now works in construction and drives a taxi.

"The transition is difficult," said Mohamed, 42, who abandoned village life several years ago for a shantytown in the central city of Karbala.

He is part of a growing wave of climate migrants in Iraq, a country that is on the frontlines of the global warming crisis.

Years of dire water scarcity left him no choice but to move, said the father of five.

Funding for a global initiative aimed at creating more environmentally friendly and climate-resilient farming has grown to $13 billion, co-leaders the United States and the United Arab Emirates said Monday.

That money means the Agriculture Innovation Mission (AIM) for Climate, launched in 2021, now exceeds its $10 billion target for the COP28 climate talks, to be hosted by the UAE in November and December.

The European Union said Monday it was cancelling its Europe Day reception in Tel Aviv after the extremist Israeli minister representing the government stood firm in his intention to participate.

In a statement, the EU delegation to Israel said it would still celebrate Europe Day on Tuesday but regretted that "this year we have decided to cancel the diplomatic reception, as we do not want to offer a platform to someone whose views contradict the values the European Union stands for."