Israel and Hamas prepare for talks in Egypt as hopes grow for ceasefire
Israel and Hamas are preparing for possible talks in Egypt on Monday, as hopes for a ceasefire continue to grow after signals from Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu that a deal to release hostages could be announced this week.
The Israeli delegation, led by chief negotiator Ron Dermer, is expected to depart for Sharm el-Sheikh on Monday, according to Netanyahu's office.
An Egyptian official said the Hamas delegation has already arrived.
Netanyahu criticizes Europe for "submission to Palestinian terrorism"
Europe has been absent from the process for a ceasefire plan between Israel and Hamas because, according to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, it has "essentially surrendered to Palestinian terrorism and radical Islamist minorities," he said in an interview.
"For this reason, Europe has become essentially irrelevant and has shown great weakness," Netanyahu said, adding that it was the US president who took the lead and initiative for a "realistic" peace agreement.
He condemned the decision of 15 of the 27 EU member states to recognize the Palestinian state, calling it "a maximum reward for Islamists."
Syria holds first parliamentary elections since Assad's ouster
On Sunday, Syria held its first parliamentary elections, nearly a year after the sudden uprising that toppled long-time president Bashar al-Assad in December.
Security forces were deployed around polling stations across the country. Members of the electoral college entered the polling booths to fill out ballots, which were then placed in sealed boxes and counted in the presence of candidates, journalists and observers from the Syrian Bar Association.
However, the elections did not include direct voting by Syrian citizens.
Storm Amy leaves three dead and extensive damage to infrastructure in Northern Europe
Weather conditions began to improve slightly in Northern Europe on Sunday, after three people died over the weekend when Storm Amy lashed the region with strong winds and rain, causing damage to critical infrastructure and power outages for tens of thousands of residents.
Authorities in the Netherlands lifted a national "code yellow" warning after Amy caused the cancellation of hundreds of flights and ferry services. Meanwhile in Scotland, authorities restored power to about 67,000 homes, two days after the storm caused extensive damage and numerous outages.
Earlier, two men were reported to have died in France due to the storm, according to local authorities on Saturday, while in Ireland a man died in Letterkenny on Friday in an incident that police described as weather-related.
