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Death toll in Jordan building collapse rises to 10

Jordanian rescue teams pulled another body from the rubble of a collapsed building in the capital on Thursday, bringing the death toll from the incident to 10.

It remained unclear what caused the collapse of the four-story residential building in Amman on Tuesday. Ten people were wounded. Rescue teams have been searching for survivors and on Wednesday saved an infant. The number of people still missing is unclear.

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Syrian ex-prisoners haunted by horrors of 'salt rooms'

When a Syrian prison guard tossed him into a dimly-lit room, the inmate Abdo was surprised to find himself standing ankle-deep in what appeared to be salt.

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Qatar, Egypt sign memoranda of understanding as Sisi visits

Qatar and Egypt signed several memoranda of understanding Wednesday, official media said, as President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi makes his first visit to the Gulf country since the nations healed a diplomatic rift.

Qatari Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al-Thani and Sisi "witnessed the signing of a memorandum of understanding between Qatar Investment Authority and the Sovereign Fund of Egypt for investment and development", the emir's office said on its official website.

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Jordan rescuers search for 10 missing under collapsed building

Jordanian rescue teams kept searching Wednesday for 10 people still missing under the rubble of a collapsed four-storey building in Amman, where five bodies were recovered the day before.

Anxious relatives waited at the disaster site in downtown Amman where emergency services were racing against the clock to dig any survivors from the debris of the residential building. 

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Israeli officer, 2 Palestinian militants killed in shootout

Palestinian gunmen opened fire on Israeli troops near a checkpoint in the occupied West Bank Wednesday, killing an Israeli army officer, the Israeli military said. Palestinian officials said that troops killed the gunmen.

The Palestinian Health Ministry said that two Palestinians were killed by the Israeli army, without providing additional details.

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Al-Sisi heads to Qatar on 1st visit as rift healed

Egypt's president traveled on Tuesday to Qatar on his first visit to the gas-rich nation amid warming ties after years of frayed relations following the Egyptian military's overthrow of an Islamist president backed by Doha.

The two-day trip comes amid a rapid rapprochement between Egypt and Qatar after the end in 2021 of a yearslong boycott of Doha by four Arab states, including Egypt. Qatar's state-run news agency said Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi was to hold talks with Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani.

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Saudi Arabia arrests man over pilgrimage for Queen Elizabeth

Saudi police arrested a Yemeni man this week after he advertised on social media his pilgrimage to Mecca, where he paid tribute to the memory of Queen Elizabeth II.

The pilgrim, who was not identified by name, had posted footage earlier this week that showed him holding a banner honoring the late queen from inside the courtyard of Mecca's Grand Mosque.

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Middle East heating nearly twice as fast as global average

The Middle East is heating at nearly twice the global average, threatening potentially devastating impacts on its people and economies, a new climate study shows.

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Syria cholera outbreak at risk of spreading

The World Health Organization warned Tuesday of a "very high" risk of cholera spreading across Syria after the country recorded its first cases since 2009.

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Israeli envoy to Morocco blasts 'smear campaign' after recall

Israel's ambassador to Morocco, who was recalled last week amid an investigation that media linked to alleged sexual misconduct, has dismissed the accusations against him as "a smear campaign."

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