World News

Friedrich Merz and his Christian Democrats broke a political taboo by working with the hard-right Alternative for Germany to toughen rules on immigration. It did not pay off.

The Rafah crossing has been shuttered for over eight months but is opening again as part of the cease-fire agreement between Israel and Hamas.

The Italian prime minister announced the investigation on social media, saying, “I cannot be blackmailed.”

For nearly 16 months, hundreds of thousands of displaced Palestinians have lived in tents, barred from returning to northern Gaza. On Monday, Israel allowed them to walk back.

Responding to the killing of a child, the poll-leading Christian Democrats are pushing to overhaul migration laws — possibly with votes from the Alternative for Germany.

Some school buildings are in gang-occupied territory or have become de facto shelters for those forced from their homes, leaving hundreds of thousands with no chance for formal learning.

Amid a surge in reported cases, lawmakers imposed harsher punishments on perpetrators. Victims’ advocacy groups said the legislation was too thin on preventive measures.

Hundreds of truckloads of food, fuel and other supplies have arrived in Gaza each day since the cease-fire took effect. But the need is vast after 15 months of war.

Palestinians returning to parts of the enclave have been picking their way through vast piles of rubble and trying to salvage what they can.

After the fighting paused, Hamas began to free some of its hostages, releasing 3, and Israel said it had released 90 Palestinian prisoners.