DAMASCUS (Reuters) -Syria is preparing to establish the first parliament since Bashar al-Assad was toppled, a milestone in the transition from his rule but one that has stirred new concerns about political inclusivity under President Ahmed al-Sharaa.

Regional committees have selected electoral colleges that will elect two-thirds of the 210-member People's Assembly, on October 5. Sharaa appoints the remaining third.

The authorities say they resorted to this system rather than universal suffrage due to a lack of reliable population data and displacement after years of war.

KABUL (Reuters) -In a dim home used as a small business in Afghanistan, women bent over bright cloth use needles to form intricate embroidery. But their fibre-optic network in Kandahar - their primary link to buyers - has now gone dark.

By Nidal al-Mughrabi

CAIRO/GAZA (Reuters) -Israel's military pushed deeper towards the most populated areas of Gaza City on Tuesday, a painful reminder for Gazans that Western powers' recognition of a Palestinian state does not mean an end to the horrors of war as tanks approach.

Israel pressed on with its Gaza offensive a day after dozens of world leaders gathered at the United Nations to embrace a Palestinian state, a landmark diplomatic shift after nearly two years of war that faces fierce resistance from Israel and its close ally the United States.

Prominent Egyptian-British human rights defender Alaa Abdel Fattah was released from prison after years behind bars and reunited with his family in an emotional celebration following a long-awaited pardon by President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi.

A key figure in Egypt's 2011 uprising, Abdel Fattah, 43, was released after years of advocacy efforts by family members, rights groups and the British government, with his mother, Laila Soueif, going on hunger strike.

US President Donald Trump blasted the United Nations and Europe on his return to the world body Tuesday, warning that migration is sending Western nations "to hell" and dismissing climate change as a "con job."

In a blistering speech during his first UN General Assembly appearance since his White House comeback, Trump also accused the world body of failing to help him as he tried to broker peace deals including in Gaza and Ukraine.

By Gram Slattery

UNITED NATIONS (Reuters) -U.S. President Donald Trump will address the U.N. General Assembly on Tuesday as world leaders grapple with crises from Gaza to Ukraine and question whether the United States, with its "America First" foreign policy, is still prepared to play a leadership role in global affairs.

Since taking office in January, Trump has upended U.S. foreign policy, slashing foreign aid, imposing tariffs on friend and foe alike and cultivating warmer - if volatile - relations with Russia.

By Kanishka Singh and Steve Holland

WASHINGTON (Reuters) -U.S. President Donald Trump will meet leaders and officials from multiple Muslim-majority countries on Tuesday and discuss the situation in Gaza, which has been under a mounting assault from Washington's ally Israel.

White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt told reporters on Monday that Trump will hold a multilateral meeting with Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Qatar, Egypt, Jordan, Turkey, Indonesia and Pakistan. A person familiar with the matter said Gaza will be discussed.

WASHINGTON (Reuters) -Canada, France, Germany and some other Western and European countries made an offer on Monday to provide financial contributions, medical staff or equipment needed to treat patients from Gaza in the Israeli-occupied West Bank.

"We strongly appeal to Israel to restore the medical corridor to the occupied West Bank, including East Jerusalem, so medical evacuations from Gaza can be resumed and patients can get the treatment that they so urgently need on Palestinian territory," the countries said in a joint statement released by Canada.

(Reuters) -Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese cited an Australian aid worker killed in Gaza, along with journalists and "tens of thousands of civilians", in a speech at the United Nations where dozens of leaders met on Monday to promote Palestinian statehood.

Australia, Britain and Canada on Sunday recognised Palestine, joining more than three-quarters of the 193 U.N. members who already recognise a Palestinian state, a move opposed by the United States and Israel.

By Parisa Hafezi

UNITED NATIONS (Reuters) -The United States has imposed strict limits on the Iranian delegation attending the U.N. General Assembly in New York, curbing their movement and banning access to wholesale stores and luxury goods.

Tommy Pigott, deputy spokesperson for the U.S. State Department, said in a statement that the move aims to "maximize pressure" on Iran’s clerical establishment, accusing it of allowing authorities to enjoy luxury shopping abroad while ordinary Iranians face "poverty, failing infrastructure, and shortages of water and electricity."