That followed the approval on Sunday by the Jerusalem municipality of hundreds of new homes in East Jerusalem. About 400,000 settlers live in the West Bank and a further 200,000 in East Jerusalem, which Israel seized in the 1967 Middle East war. The recent announcements on settlement plans for East Jerusalem and the West Bank have been seen by some as Netanyahu?s way of keeping the far right on side while avoiding the annexation issue. Beit El is a settlement near Ramallah, in which Trump?s pick for the new US ambassador to Israel, David Friedman, has been involved. A day earlier, Netanyahu had told his security cabinet that he was also lifting all restrictions on Israeli construction in occupied East Jerusalem.

A restoration of oil production is widely seen as the only way for the debt-ridden Libyan economy to recover. Oil production today stands at 715,000 barrels a day, the highest level in three years. The situation is that uncertain.?Sanalla, due to speak at a Foreign Office-backed Libyan investment conference on Thursday, said studies showed that the Libyan oil industry needed investment of between $100bn and $120bn, but it was struggling to get even operating costs from the Tripoli government. We need international help to bring it to an end,? Sanalla said. Mustafa Sanalla says oil can help ?unify? Libya as post-Gaddifi moratorium on foreign investment is lifted ahead of London conferenceThe international community has lost moral authority in Libya and can best help the country by acting to end oil smuggling and providing investment to boost production, the chairman of the Libyan National Oil Corporation, Mustafa Sanalla, has said.

Story highlights Israel approves 2,500 new housing unitsPrime Minister Netanyahu says Israel will "continue to build"Jerusalem (CNN) Just days after US President Donald Trump was sworn into office, Israel approved the construction of approximately 2,500 new housing units in West Bank settlements Tuesday, according to a statement from Defense Minister Avigdor Liberman and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. Trump press secretary Sean Spicer was asked about the new housing units Tuesday at the White House press briefing. "(Trump) wants to grow closer with Israel to make sure that it gets the full respect that it deserves in the Middle East. The planned new homes mark one of the largest settlement expansions since 2013, according to the settlement watchdog Peace Now. "Israel continues to be a huge ally of the United States," Spicer said.

During the 1970s, 80s and 90s, the west African part of the continent had a poor reputation. Time was when the most exclusive club in the world was the African heads of state club. But not today, with so many West African presidents being former opposition leaders themselves. A few years ago, Mr Jammeh might have been able to bluff his way through it and hold onto power. It would appear from the joint statement issued by the UN, AU and Ecowas that Mr Jammeh was promised immunity from prosecution in return for leaving.

Palestinian police says Israeli troops have shot and killed a 17-year-old boy and injured five others who clashed with them. Israeli forces killed 235 Palestinians in the same period, most identified by Israel as attackers. Israel blames the violence on Palestinian incitement, while Palestinians say it stems from frustration over decades of Israeli rule. The police say the Palestinians hurled rocks at the Israeli troops, who responded with fire. Since 2015, Palestinian attackers have carried out numerous stabbings, shootings and vehicular assaults that killed 40 Israelis and two visiting Americans.