Germany on Wednesday criticized Israeli plans to tighten control over the occupied West Bank as "a further step towards de facto annexation", as international anger mounts over the move.

"Israel remains an occupying power in the West Bank, and as an occupying power it is a violation of international law to build settlements, including transferring certain administrative functions to civilian Israeli authorities," a German foreign ministry spokesman said in Berlin.

Libya granted several foreign companies new oil exploration and production licenses for the first time in 17 years on Wednesday, after more than a decade of political instability.

The hydrocarbon-rich country is seeking to draw major global energy companies back, while boosting daily oil production by 850,000 barrels over the next 25 years.

The EU parliament on Wednesday approved a 90-billion-euro loan for Ukraine, providing a financial lifeline to cash-strapped Kyiv four years into Russia's invasion.

Lawmakers voted by 458 to 140 in favor of the loan, intended to cover two-thirds of Ukraine's financial needs for 2026 and 2027 and backed by the EU's common budget -- after plans to tap frozen Russian central bank assets fell by the wayside.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu will push Donald Trump on Wednesday to take a tougher stance in nuclear talks with Iran, after rushing to Washington to stiffen the U.S. president's resolve.

Trump said on the eve of the hastily arranged White House meeting -- set to begin at 11:00 am local time (1600 GMT)-- that he was weighing sending a second U.S. "armada" to the Middle East to pressure Tehran to reach a nuclear deal.

Qatar's ruler discussed regional de-escalation on a call with US President Donald Trump and later met with Iran's top security official, the emir's office said in two separate statements on Wednesday.

Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani and Trump focused on "the current situation in the region and international efforts aimed at de-escalation and strengthening regional security and peace", one statement said.

Lebanon and Jordan are seeking a solution with Syria after the latter barred foreign trucks from entering its territory, officials from both countries told AFP on Tuesday.

The United Nations rights office said Tuesday that it is in discussions with Caracas to reestablish an office in Venezuela, two years after it was kicked out.

UN rights chief Volker Turk spoke by telephone with Venezuela's interim president Delcy Rodriguez on January 26, his spokeswoman Ravina Shamdasani told reporters in Geneva.

Manchester City can ramp up the pressure on Premier League leaders Arsenal by cutting the gap at the top to just three points when they face Fulham on Wednesday, a day before the Gunners travel to in-form Brentford.

Arsenal remain in pole position for a first title in 22 years, but City's dramatic late rally to beat Liverpool on Sunday could prove a turning point for Pep Guardiola's men.

French President Emmanuel Macron has said he wants to include European partners in a resumption of dialogue with Russian leader Vladimir Putin nearly four years after Moscow's invasion of Ukraine.

He spoke after dispatching a top adviser to Moscow last week, in the first such meeting since Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Tuesday said he would prioritize discussions on negotiations with Iran when he meets with U.S. President Donald Trump in Washington this week.

"On this trip we will discuss a range of issues: Gaza, the region, but of course first and foremost the negotiations with Iran. I will present to the President our views regarding the principles for the negotiations," Netanyahu said before heading to the United States, where he will meet Trump on Wednesday.