Mena Today

Morocco's first legal cannabis harvest was 294 metric tons in 2023, after the country approved its cultivation and export for medicine and industrial uses, cannabis regulator ANRAC said. 

Israel denied the head of the U.N. Palestinian refugee agency (UNRWA) entry to the Gaza Strip on Monday, UNRWA and Egypt said, calling it an unprecedented move at a time of massive need.

A fact-finding mission mandated by the United Nations said on Monday the death of Mahsa Amini in the custody of Iran's morality police was unlawful and caused by violence and that Iranian women still suffer systematic discrimination.

EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell said on Monday that Israel is provoking famine in Gaza and using starvation as a weapon of war, an accusation Israel's foreign minister rejected.

Chinese President Xi Jinping on Monday congratulated Vladimir Putin on winning another term as Russia's president and said China was set to maintain close communication with Russia to promote their partnership, according to Chinese state media.

Turkey's competition authority said on Monday that it imposed an interim measure on Facebook parent Meta Platforms Inc meant to hinder data sharing between the company's Instagram and Threads platforms. 

Habip Yapar felt lucky that his home in southern Turkey withstood last year's devastating earthquake. Then a text message appeared on his phone in October telling him the government was taking ownership of the apartment.

Israel will send a high-level delegation headed by its Mossad chief to Qatar on Monday for mediated talks with Hamas designed to secure a six-week Gaza truce.

The U.S. Congress has ordered three Ivy League universities - Harvard, University of Pennsylvania and Columbia - to disclose all the Qatari donations they have received since January 2021. 

German Chancellor Olaf Scholz questioned the "terribly high costs" of Israel's offensive on Palestinian Islamist group Hamas in Gaza on Sunday, saying the world could not simply stand by and watch as Palestinians risk starvation in the enclave.

President Vladimir Putin won a record 88% in Russia's presidential election on Sunday, exit polls and first results showed, cementing his grip on power, though thousands of opponents staged a symbolic noon protest at polling stations.

Maronite Patrich Bechara al-Rai on Sunday urged UNRWA not to cut funds for Palestinians in Lebanon. This came after decisions to cut funds from major countries for the organization citing security concerns after its members were accused of collaborating with Hamas in Gaza.