Russian air strikes killed at least 13 civilians, including six children, Wednesday in Idlib province, in the first such raids since a September truce deal, a monitor said.

Peace talks between the Taliban and the US are progressing on a “step-by-step” basis, a spokesman from the militant group said on Sunday, following a bloody attack on a joint US-Afghan base claimed by the insurgents.

For the first time in five years, hundreds of Palestinian Muslims from the Gaza Strip will be able to perform the religious rituals of Umrah in the sacred city of Mecca, Middle East Eye has learned.

Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif stepped down on Monday, announcing his resignation on Instagram.

A new round of peace talks between the U.S. and Afghan Taliban will begin on Monday in Qatar’s capital Doha.

Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir has declared a year-long state of emergency, dissolving his cabinet and local governments throughout the country.

Hamza Shtewi, 18, and Hasan Shalabi, 14, who were shot dead by Israeli soldiers on Friday during the Gaza March of Return border protests, were laid to rest on Saturday in the blockaded Gaza Strip.

A Taliban official said on Wednesday the United States had promised to withdraw half of its troops from Afghanistan by the end of April, but the US military said no timeframe had been set.

A Palestinian was shot dead and another wounded on Monday near an Israeli checkpoint in the occupied West Bank, Palestinian officials said.

The US peace envoy for Afghanistan has hailed “significant progress” in six days of talks with the Taliban in the Qatari capital, Doha, aimed at finding a solution to end the 17-year-old war in the South Asian country.