Something to keep an eye on: The Palestinian government will meet in Gaza next week to begin taking administrative control of the region as “part of efforts to end protracted rivalry between the Islamist group and President Mahmoud Abbas,” Reuters reports. The Egypt-supported reconciliation effort between Hamas and the Palestinian Authority “may hinge on whether complex issues related to power-sharing can be resolved.”

Libyan general Khalifa Haftar has been accused of human rights abuses, Stephanie Kirchgaessner and Ruth Michaelson write in The Guardian. Experts “unearthed video evidence suggests that Haftar has been complicit in calling for extrajudicial killings and the unlawful siege of the eastern port city of Derna.” Kirchgaessner and Michaelson say the questions surrounding Haftar, who is being supported by Egypt, Saudi Arabia, and the UAE, “have not dissuaded European leaders from seeking to forge an alliance with him.”

Other international news worth noting in brief this morning include:

• Turn out to Iraqi Kurdistan’s independence referendum reached at least 72%, despite threats by the Dark Lord Sauron of Mord … sorry … Turkey of an economic blockade and war, BBC reports.
• Israelis can expect some gas shortages after a pipe from the Tamar field cracked and will take days to fix, says Energy Ministry, according to the Times of Israel.
• Swiss engineering giant ABB will be buying GE’s industrial unit for USD 2.6 bn after the latter accepted its bid on Monday, according to the Wall Street Journal.
• China has blocked WhatsApp, according to the FT. Silver lining: This gives us faith in its encryption software.