DUBAI (Reuters) -Inspectors of the U.N. nuclear watchdog IAEA visited Iranian nuclear sites last week, Iran's foreign ministry spokesperson said on Monday, according to state media, a week after the IAEA urged Iran to "seriously improve" cooperation.

The IAEA has carried out about a dozen inspections in Iran since hostilities with Israel in June, but last week highlighted it had not been given access to nuclear facilities such as Fordow, Natanz and Isfahan, which were bombed by the United States.

BAMAKO (Reuters) -The African Union has called for an urgent international response, including intelligence-sharing, to address worsening security conditions in Mali, where insurgents are imposing a fuel blockade and kidnapping foreigners.

An Al Qaeda-linked jihadist group active in West Africa's Sahel region has blocked fuel imports since September, attacking convoys of tankers and creating a shortage that forced schools and businesses to shut.

Egyptians head to the polls on Monday to elect a new parliament, which critics say will only further cement President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi's grip on power.

The opening of polling stations at 9:00 am (0700 GMT) marks the start of a weeks-long process to fill 568 of the 596 seats in the lower house, with some provinces not voting for another two weeks.

The remaining 28 lawmakers will be appointed directly by Sisi, the former army chief who seized power after ousting late Islamist president Mohamed Morsi in 2013.

A Saudi doctor went on trial in Germany Monday accused of driving an SUV through a Christmas market, killing six people and wounding more than 300.

Taleb Jawad al-Abdulmohsen, a 51-year-old psychiatrist, was arrested next to the battered rental vehicle after the attack on December 20, 2024 in the eastern city of Magdeburg.

Prosecutor Matthias Boettcher told the court that the accused wanted "to kill a large number of people" by driving the two-tonne vehicle "deliberately into a mass of pedestrians".

A nine-year-old boy and five women aged between 45 and 75 were killed.

By Steve Holland and Timour Azhari

WASHINGTON/RIYADH (Reuters) -Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa's White House meeting with U.S. President Donald Trump on Monday caps a stunning year for the rebel-turned-ruler who toppled a longtime autocratic leader and has since toured the world as he seeks to end Syria's international isolation.

In a fitness studio in Saudi Arabia, dozens of women sway to Arabic music as they practise belly dancing -- an activity that many feel compelled to keep secret.

Despite their enthusiasm, none of them would give their real name or show their faces on camera, underlining the stigma and cultural prejudices surrounding the ancient dance.

In Arab communities, belly dancing has played many roles. It is a form of artistic expression, popular entertainment and a staple of classic Egyptian cinema.

(Reuters) -Russian Security Council secretary Sergei Shoigu arrived in Cairo on Sunday leading a large delegation of senior arms and nuclear officials for military talks with Egypt's leadership, RIA news agency reported.

Shoigu is due to meet President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi, Egypt's national security adviser, foreign and defence ministers, as well as other senior security and intelligence officials, RIA reported.

By Michelle Nichols

UNITED NATIONS (Reuters) -The World Bank backs language in a U.S.-drafted United Nations Security Council resolution on Gaza that would authorize a two-year mandate for a transitional governance body,according to a letter to the United States seen by Reuters.

JERUSALEM (Reuters) -U.S. President Donald Trump's influential son-in-law, Jared Kushner, arrived in Israel on Sunday for talks with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on implementing the U.S. plan to end the Gaza war, a source familiar with the matter said.

Kushner was expected to meet with Netanyahu on Monday, said the source, speaking on condition of anonymity as the meeting had not been formally announced. The White House and Netanyahu's office did not immediately respond to a Reuters request for comment.

As he fled the Sudanese city of El-Fasher in terror, Hassan Osman said he saw ethnic attacks by paramilitary forces, with civilians targeted for their tribe and skin colour.

The Rapid Support Forces (RSF), which have been at war with the army since April 2023, captured the last military stronghold in western Darfur on October 26.

Reports of mass killings, ethnic violence, abductions and sexual assaults have since emerged.

AFP spoke to three survivors of the battle for El-Fasher, who are now seeking shelter in the nearby town of Tawila.