Not entering Rafah means losing war, says Netanyahu

• Israel closest ally the US has implored it to hold off sending troops into Rafah
• Negotiations have been going on in Cairo to try to broker a pause in the fighting

Roadmap out for environmental education, sustainable development at WEEC2024

Lebanon judge charges Nissan employees for allegedly stealing Ghosn documents

• A lawyer for the company said that the legal action was "unlawful" and that they would seek to have the charges thrown out.
• The Beirut judge has decided to prosecute "four senior Nissan officials" of Japanese, Spanish, French and British nationalities.

Iran unveils air defense systems amid rise in Middle East tensions

• "The Arman anti-ballistic missile system and the Azarakhsh low-altitude air defense system, built by the ministry of defense, were unveiled this morning," local reports said.
• The unveiling of the new weapons comes at a time of heightened regional tensions with the war between Israel and Tehran-backed Hamas raging into a fifth month.

Hamas chief says group seeks complete truce in Gaza

• In a statement issued on Saturday, Qatar-based Haniyeh reiterated the group's several demands, including an end to fighting in Gaza.
• Haniyeh insisted that those displaced from the north be returned to their areas in the territory and also called for the release of Hamas prisoners.

UNRWA chief says Israel wants to destroy agency

• "Right now we are dealing with an expanded, concerted campaign by Israel aimed at destroying UNRWA," he told the Swiss newspaper group Tamedia
• Israel has called for Lazzarini to step down following claims that a Hamas tunnel had been discovered under its evacuated Gaza City headquarters.

Pakistan official admits being part of election rigging

• Liaqat Ali Chattha, commissioner of the garrison city of Rawalpindi, said he would hand himself over to police.
• "We converted the losers into winners, reversing margins of 70,000 votes in 13 national assembly seats," he said.

Fear pervades West Bank hospital after deadly Israeli raid

• At the rehabilitation ward at Jenin's Ibn Sina hospital, two patients recalled hearing the screams of a nurse as Israeli forces reached the third floor.
• Such an attack "creates fear and is dangerous for health workers and patients", said Rik Peeperkorn, the UN agency's envoy for the Palestinian territories.

WTO chief insists global trade body still counts

• World Trade Organization is hoping for results from its 13th ministerial meeting in Abu Dhabi, particularly on fishing, agriculture and electronic commerce
• WTO chief said the meeting to be tough due to the "economic and political headwinds", from Ukraine war, the attacks in the Red Sea and economic difficulties in Europe and China

Coups, conflicts and crises confront African summit

• Gabon and Niger will be absent from the summit following their suspension over coups last year -- joining Mali, Guinea, Sudan and Burkina Faso, which are also barred
• Beyond Africa, the Israel-Hamas conflict in Gaza is a hot topic, with African Union Commission head Moussa Faki Mahamat describing it as a "war of extermination."