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Yemen's fate hangs in balance as truce collapses

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.

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Israel military kills 2 during West Bank raid

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.

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UN chief urges Yemen's warring sides to renew expiring truce

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."

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Exiled for decades, Iranian Kurds in Iraq come under fresh fire

When Iranian strikes came crashing on northern Iraq's Kurdistan region, nurse Rezane Hassan rushed to the scene to help the victims, never imagining that her own fiancé would be one of them.

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US calls on Israel to investigate death of Palestinian boy

The U.S. State Department is calling on Israel to open a "thorough" investigation into the mysterious death of a 7-year-old Palestinian boy who collapsed and died on Thursday, shortly after Israeli soldiers came to his home in the occupied West Bank.

Relatives said Rayan Suleiman had no previous health problems and accused the army of scaring the child to death. The army called the death a tragedy and said its soldiers were not to blame.

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Morocco arrests suspected Islamic State group member

Moroccan police said Thursday they had arrested a suspected Islamic State group member, in cooperation with U.S. intelligence officers, who was accused of plotting a "terrorist" act.

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Dozens of aid groups urge Yemen ceasefire extension

More than 40 humanitarian groups on Thursday called for an extension to the ceasefire in war-torn Yemen, calling it a "critical moment" for the country.

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Kuwait holds second election in two years amid gridlock

Voters in Kuwait returned to the polls on Thursday for the second parliamentary elections in less than two years, hoping to move the wealthy Gulf Arab nation out of a prolonged period of political gridlock.

Kuwait has the freest and most active assembly in the Persian Gulf, but political power is still largely concentrated in the hands of the ruling Al Sabah family, which appoints the prime minister and Cabinet, and can dissolve the assembly at any time.

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Iraq summons Iranian ambassador after drone bombing campaign

Iraq summoned the Iranian ambassador on Thursday to deliver a diplomatic complaint following a deadly drone bombing campaign, the Iraqi Foreign Ministry said in a statement.

The Iranian drones targeted an Iranian-Kurdish opposition group in northern Iraq on Wednesday, killing at least nine people and wounding 32 others. The strikes took place as demonstrations continued to engulf the Islamic Republic after the death of Mahsa Amini, a 22-year-old Iranian Kurdish woman who died while in the custody of the Iranian morality police.

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UN envoy says return to war in Yemen 'real'

The U.N. envoy for Yemen warned that the risk of a return to fighting "is real," urging warring parties to accept a longer extension of the current ceasefire due to expire next month.

Hans Grundberg's stark warning late Tuesday came after he met in Saudi Arabia's capital, Riyadh, with Rashad al-Alimi, head of the internationally recognized presidential council, and in Oman's capital of Muscat with Mohammed Abdul-Salam, the chief negotiator of the Houthi rebels. He also met with Saudi and Omani officials to push for a cease-fire extension.

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