Israeli airstrikes in Gaza kill 70 people, including 22 children, health officials say

DEIR AL-BALAH, Gaza Strip (AP) — Hospitals and health officials say Israeli airstrikes have pounded northern and southern Gaza and killed at least 70 people. The dead include almost two dozen children. The strikes came a day after Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said there was “no way” he would halt Israel’s offensive in the Palestinian territory before Hamas is defeated. There had been widespread hope that U.S. President Donald Trump’s visit to the Middle East could usher in a ceasefire deal or renewal of humanitarian aid to Gaza. An Israeli blockade of the territory is now in its third month.

Trump meets with Syria’s interim president

RIYADH, Saudi Arabia (AP) — President Donald Trump has met with Syria’s interim President Ahmad al-Sharaa, the first such encounter between the two nations’ leaders in 25 years. The meeting took place Wednesday on the sidelines of Trump’s get-together with the leaders of the Gulf Cooperation Council. It marks a major turn of events for a Syria still adjusting to life after the over 50-year, iron-gripped rule of the Assad family. It’s remarkable given al-Sharaa, under the nom de guerre Abu Mohammed al-Golani, had ties to al-Qaida and joined insurgents battling U.S. forces in Iraq before entering the Syrian war. Trump says al-Sharaa had agreed to join the Abraham Accords and eventually recognize Israel, but Syria hasn’t confirmed that.

Mauritania’s former president is sentenced to 15 years in prison

NOUAKCHOTT, Mauritania (AP) — An appeals court in Mauritania handed down a 15-year prison sentence and a $3 million fine to former President Mohamed Ould Abdel Aziz on Wednesday. He had appealed a five-year sentence. Aziz helped lead two coups before serving two terms as president of the northwest African country and becoming a counterterrorism partner to Western nations. He was sentenced in 2023 after being found guilty of money laundering and self-enrichment. His lawyers have framed the trial as score-settling between him and current President Mohamed Ould Cheikh Ghazouani.

Albania’s prime minister thanks voters for landslide win

TIRANA, Albania (AP) — Albania’s prime minister has thanked hundreds of thousands of voters who supported his Socialist Party in the last parliamentary elections, backing his pledge to take the country into the European Union in five years. Edi Rama, leader of the left-wing Socialist Party, held a celebratory rally in Tirana’s main Skanderbeg Square on Wednesday. The event, attended by thousands of supporters waving Albanian and EU flags, took place in front of a big poster prepared for Friday’s European Political Community. “Most Albanians, within and outside Albania, think Albania is on the right path,” Rama said. “Albania can only achieve EU membership by 2030 through our collective effort, led by me and the Socialist Party.”