Syria's health ministry has recorded 39 deaths from cholera and nearly 600 cases in an outbreak spreading in the war-ravaged country that the United Nations warned is "evolving alarmingly."

The U.N. special envoy for Iraq has warned that the situation in the country remains "highly volatile" nearly a year after last October's elections failed to form a government, saying all sides have made "strategic mistakes" and it's now time for all Iraqi leaders to hold talks "and pull the country back from the ledge."

Jeanine Hennis-Plasschaert told the U.N. Security Council that "with risks of further strife and bloodshed still very tangible, dwelling on who did what when is no longer an option."

Saudi Arabia was chosen on Tuesday to host the 2029 Asian Winter Games at a $500 billion futuristic megacity in the desert that planners say will feature a year-round winter sports complex. 

As the sun beats down on Iraq, most people swelter in their concrete homes -- but not the inhabitants of one mountain town known for its ancient and cool stone houses. 

A six-month truce in Yemen that expired Sunday had provided a rare respite for the war-ravaged country, but failed attempts to extend it have stoked fears of fresh conflict.

Turkey's foreign minister signed a deal in Libya's capital Monday allowing for oil and gas exploration in Libya's Mediterranean waters, three years after a maritime border deal that angered European nations.

The European Union and Israel on Monday held high-level talks for the first time in a decade, with the Europeans keen to press Israeli Prime Minister Yair Lapid on how to put a two-state solution to the conflict with the Palestinians into place.

EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell welcomed the recent support from Lapid — who took part in Monday's talks by videoconference — for an end to the conflict based on an Israeli and Palestinian state living peacefully side by side.

The United Nations envoy scrambled to revive Yemen's six-month truce after a missed deadline raised fears of a return to war and prompted rebel threats against Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates late Sunday.

Special envoy Hans Grundberg pledged "relentless efforts" to reinvigorate the truce, which lapsed on Sunday after bringing a sharp reduction in clashes since it came into force in April.

The Israeli military shot and killed two Palestinians during a raid in the occupied West Bank early Monday, Palestinian officials said.

The military alleged that the men tried to ram their car into soldiers, a claim that could not be independently verified. Palestinians and rights group often accuse Israeli troops of using excessive force against Palestinians, who live under a 55-year military occupation with no end in sight. Israel says it follows strict rules of engagement and opens fire in life-threatening situations.

The U.N. chief is strongly urging Yemen's warring parties to not only renew but expand a truce that expires Sunday, saying it has brought the longest period of relative calm since the conflict began in 2014.

Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said Friday that the internationally recognized government and Houthi rebels should prioritize the national interests of the Yemeni people and "choose peace for good."