In a small village on the coast of southern Morocco, women gather in a house to create collaborative works of textile art, and also earn a living.Several hunch over large canvasses, embroidering their latest piece at the women-only workshop, in the village of 400 people. Some of their works have been shown internationally."This project has changed my life," said Hanane Ichbikili, a 28-year-old former nursing student turned project creative director."And yet I had never held an embroidery needle before," she told AFP.

Hamas announced on Saturday that it had submitted its response to a ceasefire proposal from US envoy Steve Witkoff, saying 10 living hostages would be freed from Gaza under the deal.The White House had said the latest proposal for a deal was approved in advance by Israel, which on Friday warned Hamas to either accept the deal and free the hostages "or be annihilated".

British Prime Minister Keir Starmer was to meet his Iraqi counterpart Mohammed Shia al-Sudani on Tuesday for talks on trade, security and migration, in a visit hailed as a "new era" in ties.The Iraqi prime minister's trip to London, during which he will also meet King Charles III, comes more than 20 years after Britain took part in the US-led invasion of Iraq.

Lebanon's new Prime Minister Nawaf Salam said Tuesday that he was reaching out to all political persuasions to help "rescue" his crisis-hit country ahead of talks aimed at forming a government.He also promised to extend state authority across all of Lebanon, a challenge in a country where the Shiite militant group Hezbollah has long held sway in certain areas.

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken on Tuesday proposed international security forces and temporary UN leadership to stabilize post-war Gaza but said Israel in turn must agree on a pathway to a Palestinian state.With talks in Qatar nearing a ceasefire in the devastating 15-month war, Blinken laid out his long-awaited roadmap for post-war Gaza after a defeat of Hamas -- with days left before he leaves office.

Europe views Syria as crucial to its stability, particularly regarding migration, and is hoping to reduce Russia’s presence in the country following the fall of President Bashar al-Assad, said one expert.

Syria said on Saturday the country's main airport in Damascus would resume international flights starting next week after such commercial trips were halted following last month's ouster of president Bashar al-Assad."We announce we will start receiving international flights to and from Damascus International Airport from" Tuesday, state news agency SANA said, quoting Ashhad al-Salibi, who heads the General Authority of Civil Aviation and Air Transport.

Washington publicly denied rumors that US troops would establish a base in the Syrian Kurdish stronghold border town, which remains under threat by Turkey-backed rebels.

The family of a US defense contractor imprisoned in Kuwait on what he claims are false drug charges is appealing to the Biden administration to intervene.

The total value of defense exports surpassed Ankara's $6.5 billion target, with significant deals with European countries.

Narges Mohammadi, the Iranian 2023 Nobel Peace Prize laureate, says her body may be weakened from her long imprisonment but she still has a mind of "steel", according to an interview published Thursday.The 52-year-old has been jailed repeatedly over the past 25 years, most recently since November 2021, for convictions relating to her advocacy against the obligatory hijab for women and capital punishment in Iran.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu authorised Israeli negotiators to continue talks in Doha on a hostage release, his office said Thursday, after Israel and Hamas traded blame for their slow progress.Indirect negotiations mediated by Qatar, Egypt and the United States have taken place in Doha in recent weeks, rekindling hope for a ceasefire and hostage release agreement that has so far proven elusive.But late last month the two sides accused each other of throwing up roadblocks, again delaying a deal.

In the winding alleys of southern Iran, artist Adel Yazdi has taken it upon himself to turn his rustic old neighbourhood into a cultural and tourist hub through vibrant paintings and carved relief faces.Narenjestan, a neighbourhood characterised by crumbling, uninhabited houses, is nestled in Shiraz, a southern city celebrated for its historic architecture, lush gardens and revered poets."Most of the dilapidated walls in old Shiraz have no historical value," said Yazdi, a bushy-bearded, bespectacled 40-year-old artist who has dedicated himself to revitalising Narenjestan.

Israel's former defence minister Yoav Gallant, who was dismissed in November after spearheading the military campaign in Gaza for more than a year, announced Wednesday that he would resign from parliament.Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu had sacked Gallant, saying there was a "breakdown in trust" amid disagreements between the two on several issues."I will submit my resignation to the speaker of the Knesset," Gallant said in a televised statement on Wednesday.

The Palestinian Authority on Wednesday ordered the suspension of broadcasts by the Qatar-based Al Jazeera across the Palestinian territories, accusing the network of airing "inciting content", official media reported."The specialised ministerial committee, comprising the ministries of culture, interior and communications, has decided to suspend broadcasts and freeze all activities of Al Jazeera satellite channel and its office in Palestine," the official Wafa news agency said.

Syria's de facto leader Ahmed al-Sharaa met with senior Christian clerics on Tuesday, amid calls on the Islamist chief to guarantee minority rights after seizing power earlier this month."The leader of the new Syrian administration, Ahmed al-Sharaa, meets a delegation from the Christian community in Damascus," Syria's General Command said in a statement on Telegram.The statement included pictures of the meeting with Catholic, Orthodox and Anglican clerics.

Umayyad Square in Damascus hummed to the throngs of people brandishing "revolution" flags as Syria saw in the new year with hope following 13 years of civil war.Gunshots rang out from Mount Qasioun overlooking the capital where hundreds of people gazed up at fireworks, an AFP reporter at the square saw.It was the first new year's celebration without an Assad in power for more than 50 years after the fall of Bashar al-Assad in December."Long live Syria, Assad has fallen," shouted some children.

Syria's new authorities announced on Tuesday that the military chief of the Islamist group that spearheaded the offensive that toppled longtime ruler Bashar al-Assad had been appointed defence minister in the transitional government."The General Command announces the nomination of General Murhaf Abu Qasra as defence minister in the new government of the Syrian Arab Republic," said a statement carried by the official news agency SANA.Abu Qasra, 41, a former agronomist, led the armed wing of Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) for five years.

Israel's devastating campaigns against Iran's regional allies have severely weakened its arch-enemy's ability to project its power, but Yemen's Tehran-backed Huthi rebels remain a stubborn thorn in its side, analysts say.With the ranks of Palestinian group Hamas and Lebanon's Hezbollah decimated after more than a year of war, and with the fall of Bashar al-Assad in Syria removing a key link in Iran's anti-Israel "axis of resistance", the Huthis have emerged as Israel's most immediate security concern.

Syrian authorities have appointed Maysa Sabreen as interim central bank governor, a bank official told AFP on Tuesday, the first time a woman heads the financial establishment. Sabreen, until recently the bank's first deputy governor, took her new position on Tuesday, said a department manager at the Central Bank of Syria who requested anonymity to discuss sensitive matters."We received an internal circular yesterday assigning Dr Maysa Sabreen to run the Central Bank of Syria in a caretaker capacity," he said.He did not say when her interim mandate was due to end.

For decades, any Syrian daring to broach political topics got used to speaking in hushed tones and with a watchful eye trained for a listener among the crowd."There were spies everywhere," Mohannad al-Katee said in Al-Rawda cafe in Damascus, adding almost in disbelief: "It's the first time that I sit in a cafe and I can talk about politics."It was a dream for Syrians," said Katee, 42, a researcher in political and social history.Until now, he like thousands of others had grown accustomed to watching for the proverbial flies on the walls of Damascus's renowned cafes.

Iran played a central role in Jimmy Carter's presidency, but in Tehran, where state television branded him the "architect of economic sanctions", many have far from fond memories of the late US president. The former US president and Nobel Peace Prize laureate, who passed away on Monday at the age of 100, left behind a legacy of punitive measures whose impact on Iran has endured since the 1979 Islamic Revolution. "Carter had a bad character," said Hassan Taherifar who works at a Tehran bazaar outside the former US embassy in Tehran, known locally as the "Den of Spies".

Syria's de facto leader Ahmed al-Sharaa has tapped dozens of former rebels for high-ranking army positions, several of whom are foreign fighters, a war monitor and experts said on Monday.The new authorities in Damascus, from the ranks of Islamist-led rebels who until several weeks ago had fought to overthrow longtime ruler Bashar al-Assad, now face the daunting task of rebuilding state institutions.The Syrian army has effectively collapsed, much like other institutions set up by the Assad clan and their notorious security apparatuses.

About half of school-age children in Syria are missing out on education after nearly 14 years of civil war, Save the Children told AFP on Monday, calling for "immediate action".The overwhelming majority of Syrian children are also in need of immediate humanitarian assistance including food, the charity said, with at least half of them requiring psychological help to overcome war trauma.

A delegation from Turkey's main pro-Kurdish DEM party is due on Saturday to visit jailed PKK leader Abdullah Ocalan, who is serving life on a prison island off Istanbul, a party source said."The delegation left in the morning," the source told AFP, without elaborating how they would travel to the island for security reasons. The visit would be the party's first in almost 10 years. DEM's predecessor, the HDP party, last met Ocalan in April 2015.

The head of the World Health Organization said Saturday he only narrowly escaped death in fatal Israeli strikes on the airport in Yemen's Huthi rebel-held capital.WHO chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus told BBC radio his ears were still ringing following Thursday's attack as he prepared to board a flight in Sanaa, and stressed that the protection for civilian installations under international law must be respected.

Israel is debating whether to seize the detected window of opportunity and target not only the Houthis in Yemen but also Iran’s entire nuclear program.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has indicated a desire to help Syria after the fall of Bashar al-Assad, who was heavily backed by Russia.

A silent crowd gathered in the Syrian capital Damascus on Friday to press the new authorities about the fate of relatives who went missing under Bashar al-Assad and to demand justice for their loved ones.The fate of tens of thousands of people who disappeared under Assad -- who was ousted on December 8 by a coalition of Islamist-led rebels -- is a key question after more than 13 years of devastating civil war that saw upwards of half a million people killed.

Israel conducted massive airstrikes on Houthi targets in Yemen, including on Sanaa's international airport and the seaport of Hodeidah.

Amid freezing temperatures and increased demand for heat, Iran is facing an acute energy crisis that has all but shut down the country.

Syrian authorities conducted a search and made arrests in Tartous on Thursday following an ambush the day prior and amid rising violence throughout the country.