The World Bank says less than half the money pledged by donors to rebuild the Gaza Strip after the 2014 war between Hamas and Israel has been disbursed.

The shortfall is among several reasons the Palestinian economy is stagnating, with unemployment at 42 percent in Gaza and at 18 percent in the West Bank.

The smell of chocolate wafts from the door of an artisanal shop that would not be out of place in Brooklyn. Founder Dana Mroueh takes in the sun while riding her stationary bicycle-turned-cocoa grinder on an ambitious journey that began just four months ago.

Lebanon's Hizbullah, which is taking part in Syria's conflict, has said that it supports the latest ceasefire deal agreed by the U.S. and Russia but vowed to continue fighting against the Islamic State group and Fateh al-Sham Front, which was known as al-Nusra Front before renouncing its affiliation with al-Qaida.

Saudi Arabia's top cleric will not be delivering this year's prestigious hajj sermon on Sunday for the first time in more than three decades.

Al-Riyadh newspaper reported Saturday that Grand Mufti Sheikh Abdulaziz Al Sheikh, who has delivered the sermon since 1981, will be replaced by Sheikh Saleh bin Hamid.

Kanye West brought his "Saint Pablo Tour" to the small stage at a New York Fashion Week party, where he performed under smoky, dark lights, and ended his set with some outspoken words, per usual.

West hit the stage Friday night at The Plaza Hotel, where the audience — a bit sweaty and cramped and made of up fashion and entertainment industry insiders — hung on to the rapper's every move as he performed new and old songs, even jumping into the audience to rap with the crowd.

Iranian state TV says the country has begun building its second nuclear power plant with Russian help, the first such project since last year's landmark nuclear deal with world powers.

The project launched Saturday will eventually include two power plants expected to go online in 10 years. Construction on the second plant is set to begin in 2018.

Apple may not become an automaker, but it still wants to develop its own self-driving technology.

The iPhone-maker's automotive project, long an open secret in Silicon Valley, is shifting to focus on creating the technology for an autonomous vehicle that doesn't require a human driver. The new direction apparently doesn't foreclose the possibility that Apple might someday build its own car, but it opens the door to partnering with other car companies.

Escalating violence in South Sudan is casting a light on Israel's murky involvement in that conflict and raising questions about Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's new strategy of strengthening ties with African countries.

Netanyahu has been forging alliances across Africa in an effort he says will help blunt Palestinian diplomatic initiatives against Israel at the United Nations.

The Taliban stormed into Tarin Kot Thursday, triggering heavy fighting around government buildings as panicked residents scrambled to flee the capital of southern Uruzgan province, the latest city to be targeted by insurgents.

Pitched battles prompted urgent calls from officials for reinforcements and air support, after the militants toppled security posts on the outskirts to breach the city gates.

As Hermine worked its way up the East Coast, scientists deployed several underwater drones they say will help them better understand what sustains and strengthens hurricanes and tropical storms — and ultimately better protect life and property.

The ocean gliders, as they are called, resemble yellow-winged torpedoes. They were released into the ocean roughly 100 miles offshore at the continental shelf, where at depths of 100 to 300 feet they measured water temperatures, salinity and density before, during and even after the storm.