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HRW says Israeli restrictions risk turning West Bank into 'another Gaza'

Human Rights Watch charged Monday that new Israeli rules for foreigners entering the West Bank risked turning the occupied territory into "another Gaza," cutting residents off from the outside world.

The regulations, which have faced waves of condemnation from the European Union and United States, have also been clouded by uncertainty.

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Egypt lawyers end strike after colleagues released

Members of the Egyptian Bar Association have called off a days-long strike held in protest against the jailing of six colleagues, a statement said.

The association had announced Thursday an open-ended strike to condemn their colleagues' sentencing to two years in jail over a court brawl earlier this month.

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Building collapse in war-damaged Syria city kills 16

A building collapsed Sunday in Syria's war-damaged second city of Aleppo, killing 16 people including children, with the search for survivors extending into the night.

Much of Aleppo was destroyed during Syria's conflict that began nearly 12 years ago and left many of the remaining structures in a decrepit state.

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Italy's FM meets with Egyptian officials on migration, Libya

Italy's chief diplomat has held talks with Egyptian and Arab League officials in Cairo that focused on regional security and the conflict in neighboring Libya, as well as sensitive bilateral issues.

Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani said he raised with Egypt's president the case of Giulio Regeni, an Italian graduate student who was kidnapped, tortured, and killed in Cairo in 2016, and that of Patrick George Zaki, an Egyptian activist studying in Bologna who had been detained for nearly two years.

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Iraqi PM replaces Central Bank governor over currency drop

Iraq's prime minister on Monday replaced the governor of the country's Central Bank following a weekslong plunge of the Iraqi dinar, the state news agency reported.

Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani made the move after the governor, Mustafa Ghaleb Mukheef, told him he no longer wishes to stay in the job, the Iraqi News Agency said. Mukheef, who was in the post since 2020, was replaced by Muhsen al-Allaq, a former central bank governor, the agency added.

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Israelis press on with protests against new government

Tens of thousands of Israelis gathered in Tel Aviv on Saturday night to protest plans by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's new government to overhaul the judicial system, measures that opponents say imperil Israel's "democratic" foundation.

Israeli media, citing police, said some 100,000 people were out protesting.

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Israeli settler kills Palestinian at West Bank farm

An Israeli settler shot dead a Palestinian Saturday at a settler farm in the occupied West Bank after an attempted stabbing, the military said, the latest incident as violence surges in the territory.

An assailant tried to knife an Israeli settler during the "attempted stabbing attack" at Sde Efraim farm northwest of Ramallah, it said.

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Syria rebel-held areas receive first cholera vaccines

The first batch of cholera vaccines has reached rebel-held areas in the northwest of war-ravaged Syria, where the extremely virulent disease is spreading.

Syria's first outbreak since 2009, which the United Nations and local officials say has killed dozens of people since August, has been attributed in part to dilapidated infrastructure after more than a decade of conflict.

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Harvard backtracks on Israel critic after outcry

America's prestigious Harvard University has said it would offer a fellowship to a leading human rights advocate after an initial snub over his criticism of Israel sparked a backlash.

The dean of Harvard Kennedy School caused an outcry when it was revealed this month that he had blocked the hiring of long-time former Human Rights Watch (HRW) executive director Kenneth Roth.

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Trio of suicide drones strike US base in Syria, wounding 2

Three suicide drones attacked a U.S. base in eastern Syria on Friday, wounding two Syrian opposition fighters, the U.S. military said. No Americans were hurt in the attack.

It was not clear who was behind the drone attack, but Iran-backed fighters in the region have carried out such operations in the past. Sleeper cells of the Islamic State group are also active in the area.

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