BUDAPEST, Dec 8 (Reuters) - Turkey's President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Hungary's Prime Minister Viktor Orban have agreed that Turkey will guarantee that Russian gas can continue to flow to Hungary, Orban said on Monday.
Hungary has maintained its reliance on Russian energy since the start of the conflict in Ukraine, prompting criticism from several European Union and NATO allies.
By Pesha Magid and Steven Scheer
JERUSALEM, Dec 8 (Reuters) - Israeli authorities entered the U.N. Palestinian refugee agency's East Jerusalem offices on Monday and raised Israel's flag, in a raid they said was ordered over unpaid taxes but was condemned by the agency as a challenge to international law.
The United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA), which has been accused of bias by Israel, has not used the building since the start of this year after Israel ordered it to vacate all its premises and cease its operations.
By Julia Payne
BRUSSELS, Dec 8 (Reuters) - EU countries on Monday agreed their final negotiating positions for several proposed migration laws on new asylum rules, a common EU list of "safe countries of origin" and an EU-wide policy for illegal migrant returns, statements from the Council of the European Union said.
Despite strong criticism from more than 200 organisations, the key elements of the European Commission's proposals will likely become law.
By Alexander Dziadosz
CAIRO, Dec 8 (Reuters) - Quadcopters, electromagnetic rifles and an AI-powered navigation system were among the wares displayed at one of Africa and the Middle East’s biggest arms expos, as defence companies jostle to break into regional markets increasingly defined by drone warfare.
DUBAI, Dec 8 (Reuters) - Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu will meet U.S. President Donald Trump on December 29, an Israeli government spokesperson said on Monday.
(Reporting by Maayan Lubell; Writing by Elwely Elwelly)
Conditions for medics and patients in Gaza are as severe as ever despite a nearly two-month truce in the territory, the president of medical charity Doctors Without Borders (MSF) said in an AFP interview.
Israel and Palestinian militant group Hamas agreed in October to a US-backed truce deal for Gaza which stipulated an influx of aid to the territory devastated by two years of war and in the grip of a humanitarian crisis.
KINSHASA, Dec 8 (Reuters) - Congolese President Felix Tshisekedi said in a speech to lawmakers on Monday that Rwanda is already violating its commitments under a peace deal mediated by Washington, undermining efforts to end fighting in the east.
(Reporting by Ange Adihe Kasongo; Writing by Ayen Deng Bior; Editing by Robbie Corey-Boulet)
By Michal Yaakov Itzaki and Rami Amichay
MEITAR, Israel, Dec 8 (Reuters) - The mother of the last hostage in Gaza says Israel will not heal until he or his remains are brought home, and that the next phase of a peace plan should not proceed until he is back.
Police officer Ran Gvili was one of 251 hostages seized and taken to Gaza by the Palestinian militant group Hamas in its attack on southern Israel on October 7, 2023.
Dec 8 (Reuters) - Sudan's paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) said on Monday it had taken control of the strategic Heglig oilfield in the South Kordofan province.
Heglig, which lies along Sudan's southern border, houses the main processing facility for South Sudanese oil, which makes up much of the revenue for South Sudan's government.
Government forces and workers at the Heglig oil field withdrew from the area on Sunday to avoid clashes that could have damaged the oil facilities, government sources told Reuters.
Dec 8 (Reuters) - Global leaders pledged $1.9 billion to advance polio eradication on Monday, accelerating efforts to protect 370 million children from polio each year amid significant funding cuts.
The budget of the Global Polio Eradication Initiative, a partnership that includes the World Health Organization and the Gates Foundation, is expected to take a 30% cut in 2026 and has a funding gap of $1.7 billion up to 2029.
