Hospitals are no longer places of safety as Iran's crackdown on anti-government protests impacts all aspects of life, rights groups say, with authorities arresting wounded protesters and even the medics who treat them.

Activists accuse security forces of killing thousands of people and wounding more by directly firing on protests, often with birdshot that can leave metal pellets lodged in the body until hygienically extracted by a professional.

Perched on a hill overlooking Carthage, Tunisia's famed blue-and-white village of Sidi Bou Said now faces the threat of landslides, after record rainfall tore through parts of its slopes.

Last week, Tunisia saw its heaviest downpour in more than 70 years. The storm killed at least five people, with others still missing.

Narrow streets of this village north of Tunis -- famed for its pink bougainvillea and studded wooden doors -- were cut off by fallen trees, rocks and thick clay. Even more worryingly for residents, parts of the hillside have broken loose.

By Olivia Le Poidevin

GENEVA, Jan 30 (Reuters) - Yemen's Iran‑aligned Houthi paramilitary has removed critical telecommunications equipment belonging to the U.N., the global body said on Friday, warning that further restrictions on its work would fuel a worsening humanitarian crisis

The Houthis, who control areas in north Yemen, entered at least six unstaffed U.N. offices in the capital Sanaa and took telecommunications equipment and several vehicles to an unknown location, the U.N.'s Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator for Yemen Julien Harneis said in a statement.

By Olivia Le Poidevin

GENEVA, Jan 30 (Reuters) - Medical charity Medecins Sans Frontieres said on Friday it will not submit lists of staff demanded by Israel to maintain access to Gaza and the West Bank, saying it had not been able to obtain assurances over the safety of its teams.

MSF, which supports and helps staff hospitals in Gaza, is one of 37 international organisations that Israel ordered this month to stop work in the Palestinian territories unless they meet new rules including providing employee details.

South Africa ordered Israel's top diplomat to leave the country within 72 hours on Friday, citing a "series of violations" and prompting the Israeli government to expel Pretoria's own diplomatic representative.

Ties between the nations are already strained by South Africa's case before the United Nations top court in 2023 to argue that Israel's war on Gaza amounts to genocide.

The South African foreign ministry said it had informed Israel that its charge d'affaires, Ariel Seidman, was "persona non grata" and "required to depart from the Republic within 72 hours".

By Olena Harmash

KYIV, Jan 30 (Reuters) - Russia has agreed to a request from U.S. President Donald Trump to halt airstrikes on Kyiv until February 1 amid harsh winter temperatures, and Ukraine said it was ready to reciprocate as Washington pushes for a diplomatic solution to end the war.

ISTANBUL, Jan 30 (Reuters) - Iran is prepared for the resumption of talks with the United States, but they should be fair and not include Iran's defence capabilities, Iran's chief diplomat said on Friday, as regional powers work to prevent military conflict between the two foes.

U.S. President Donald Trump said on Thursday he planned to speak with Iran, even as the U.S. sent another warship to the Middle East and the Pentagon chief said the military would be ready to carry out whatever the president decided.

When Hani Massalkhi went to pay his electricity bill in Damascus this week, he discovered that, under the new tariffs, the amount due was higher than his monthly income.

Massalkhi, a retired agricultural engineer who lives on a $70-a-month pension, left without paying.

"My bill used to vary between 15,000 and 20,000 pounds (less than $2). Now, it has surpassed 800,000 pounds", or $72, he told AFP.

In October, Syria's energy ministry hiked prices by up to 6,000 percent, sending shockwaves through a population already reeling from more than 13 years of war.

Jan 30 (Reuters) - Iran plans to designate the armed forces of European Union countries that have blacklisted the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps as "terrorists", according to a post by top Iranian security official Ali Larijani on X.

"Therefore, the consequences will fall on the European countries that undertook such an action," Larijani said.

(Reporting by Dubai Newsroom;Editing by Alison Williams)

JERUSALEM, Jan 30 (Reuters) - Israel will reopen the Rafah border crossing on Sunday for people to travel between Gaza and Egypt, the Israeli government agency that coordinates civilian policy in Gaza, COGAT, said on Friday.

"The return of residents from Egypt to the Gaza Strip will be permitted, in coordination with Egypt, for residents who left Gaza during the course of the war only, and only after prior security clearance by Israel," COGAT said.