German opposition leader Friedrich Merz laid out proposals to clamp down on illegal migration on Thursday after an Afghan asylum seeker allegedly carried out a deadly knife attack on a group of pre-school children in Aschaffenburg."We are faced with the tatters of 10 years of misguided asylum and migration policy in Germany," Merz, leader of the conservative Christian Democrats and the current frontrunner for chancellor in next month's election, told reporters.He called for permanent controls at all German borders, a halt on all illegal entries to the country and the use of national law to step in for "dysfunctional" EU asylum law, as well as a push to make more facilities available to make room for migrant detention facilities.

Israel's economy minister said on Wednesday it seeks a peaceful Gaza but has not decided whether to help fund its reconstruction and would not allow the rebuilding of Hamas rule that he said could lead to another cross-border terrorist attack.A ceasefire between Israel and Palestinian terrorist group Hamas took effect on Sunday and the focus has shifted in part to ways of bringing permanent peace after 15 months of war.Economy Minister Nir Barkat told Reuters in an interview during the World Economic Forum's annual meeting in Davos, Switzerland that reconstruction of Gaza was not possible unless Hamas decided it wanted lasting peace with Israel."The key question is if...they want to build a Dubai or rebuild Gaza the way it was," Barkat said, referring to the United Arab Emirates city, a global hub of commerce, and to Gaza under Palestinian Islamist terrorist rule since 2007."Dubai recognised the state of Israel, they are focusing on mutual economies...we would like to see Dubai in our region, not Gaza," said Barkat, a former mayor of Jerusalem.

Hezbollah said on Thursday that Israel has to completely withdraw from Lebanon as the 60-day period in a ceasefire deal comes to an end, adding that the Lebanese state should push for a guarantee for the withdrawal.The Iran-backed terror group also said in a statement that it was following developments and any breach to the agreement would not be accepted.

The US Senate voted on Thursday to advance the nomination of John Ratcliffe, a former House of Representatives member who served as director of national intelligence during President Donald Trump's first term as director of the CIA.The tally was 72-26 on a procedural measure to end debate, clearing the way for a vote on Ratcliffe's confirmation later on Thursday.

President Donald Trump reintroduced himself to the global stage on Thursday morning in his speech to the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, by claiming credit for the ceasefire and hostage deal between Israel and Hamas. "Before even taking office, my team negotiated a ceasefire agreement in the Middle East, which wouldn't have happened without us, as I think most of the people in the room know," he said. Trump called the hostages returning home a "beautiful sight" and said, "They'll be coming in more and more."