MIDDLE EAST

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In a stark reminder of their repressive governance, the Taliban regime in Afghanistan has issued a new set of vice and virtue laws that significantly curtail women’s freedoms, marking a disturbing escalation in their campaign against women’s rights. These laws, published by the Taliban’s Ministry for the Propagation of Virtue and the Prevention of Vice, and approved by supreme leader Hibatullah Akhundzada, represent the first formal declaration of such rules since the Taliban’s takeover in 2021.

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Tiers of graves are stacked deep underground in a bloated Gaza cemetery, where Sa’di Baraka spends his days hacking at the earth, making room for more dead.

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International mediators are hoping to kickstart stalled cease-fire negotiations between Israel and Hamas with a new round of talks meant to finally clinch a deal between the sides. But the chances of a breakthrough appear slim.

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Palestinian factions, including long-time rivals Hamas and Fatah, have signed an agreement to "end division and strengthen Palestinian unity" in Beijing, China announced on Tuesday. This significant development follows reconciliation talks hosted by China involving 14 Palestinian factions starting on Sunday.

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Nobel laureate Muhammad Yunus has been appointed as Bangladesh's interim leader following the dramatic ousting of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina. The 84-year-old economist and pioneer of microloans was named interim chief a day after Hasina fled the country amid deadly protests demanding her resignation.