Ten Yemeni soldiers were killed in an overnight rebel attack near the blockaded city of Taez, Yemen's government said on Monday, calling it a "dangerous escalation" after a months-long ceasefire.

The assault, which also left several soldiers wounded, was aimed at cutting off a key route to the southwestern city of about two million, the government said.

The Iran-backed Huthi rebels have blocked main roads into Taez since 2015, the same year that a Saudi-led coalition intervened in the conflict.

Iran's president said Monday that reviving a 2015 atomic deal with world powers would be pointless unless the UN nuclear watchdog put an end to its probe of undeclared sites in the country.

Ebrahim Raisi's comments came as Tehran reviews the US response to its suggestions on a "final" text put forward by the EU to salvage the landmark deal.

The United States had been adamant that Tehran cooperate with the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) to clear up suspicions about earlier work at three undeclared sites.

Iraqi supporters of powerful cleric Moqtada Sadr withdrew Tuesday from Baghdad's Green Zone after he demanded an end to fighting between rival Shiite forces and the army that left 30 dead and hundreds wounded.

The clashes that erupted on Monday pitted Sadr loyalists against Shiite factions backed by neighbouring Iran -- violence that prompted Iraq's president to push for early elections and the prime minister to threaten to resign.

Striking geometric shapes that recall 20th century abstract art are not what you would expect to see adorning a handmade Iranian rug.

But changing tastes and increased competition from Asia have forced some in the trade to redesign and resize a tradition dating back more than 2,000 years.

"A revolution is underway," said Ahad Azimzadeh, 65, who calls himself "the biggest exporter of Persian carpets in the world".

An Iraqi museum is using computer technology and virtual reality headsets to turn back time, so visitors can explore heritage sites destroyed by jihadist fighters and in battles to defeat them.

Islamic State group fighters captured a third of Iraq in a lightning offensive in 2014, seizing the northern city of Mosul as their stronghold and vandalising or destroying a swathe of cultural sites across the country.

Japan will cooperate closely with African countries to promote "more resilient" economies, Prime Minister Fumio Kishida told the final session of an investment conference in Tunisia on Sunday.

He also promised Japan would use its place on the United Nations Security Council next year to push for a permanent African seat on the world body, a day after announcing $30 billion in public and private finance for the continent.

An economic crisis spurred by the Ukraine war is casting darkness upon Egypt's streets, as the government dims lights to free up energy for export and bolster hard currency reserves.

Russia's invasion of Ukraine had an immediate impact on Egypt, the world's biggest wheat importer which has relied on the ex-Soviet states for over 80 percent of its grain.

Egypt, which turned to the International Monetary Fund for a loan after the war erupted, is pumping more natural gas abroad to increase its foreign currency reserves -- a move that has come in for criticism.

Oscar beats the summer heat of the United Arab Emirates by working out in a gym, hitting the treadmill twice or three times a week. Nothing unusual in that -- except that Oscar is a dog.

As the Gulf's increasingly fierce temperatures become dangerous to health amid fears over the pace of climate change, those who can afford not to work outside in the blazing sun stay inside in air-conditioning.

And for owners of pampered pets able to splash the cash, an air-conditioned gym for dogs has become an attractive option.

Worshippers crying "Hail Mary" walk alongside their Muslim neighbours in the Tunisian port district of La Goulette, harking back to a time when Sicilians were at the heart of neighbourhood life.

The Madonna of Trapani procession, marking the Catholic Feast of the Assumption, is an echo of a "forgotten history" researchers of Italian origin say offers a model for coexistence with migrants, among faiths and ethnicities.

Clashes between backers of Libya's rival governments killed at least 23 people and damaged six hospitals in Tripoli on Saturday, sparking fears that a political crisis could spiral into a major new armed conflict.

Small arms fire and explosions rocked several districts of the capital overnight and into Saturday, when smoke could be seen rising from damaged buildings.

But cautious calm appeared to have returned on Saturday night, an AFP correspondent said.