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French court orders release of Lebanese militant held since 1984

A French court on Friday ordered the release of pro-Palestinian Lebanese militant Georges Ibrahim Abdallah, jailed for 40 years for the 1982 killings of two foreign diplomats, prosecutors said.

The court said Abdallah, first detained in 1984 and convicted in 1987 over the murders, would be released on December 6 provided he leaves France, French anti-terror prosecutors said in a statement to AFP, adding that they would appeal.

Abdallah had been sentenced to life in prison

Palestinians turn to local soda in boycott of Israel-linked goods

In a red box factory that stands out among the drab hills of the West Bank, Chat Cola's employees race to quench Palestinians' thirst for local products since the Gaza war erupted last year.

With packaging reminiscent of Coca-Cola's iconic red and white aluminium cans, Chat Cola has tapped into Palestinians' desire to shun brands perceived as too supportive of Israel.

"The demand for (Chat Cola) increased since the war began because of the boycott," owner Fahed Arar, told AFP at the factory in the occupied West Bank town of Salfit.

Chat Cola has tapped into Palestinians' desire to move away from companies perceived as too supportive of Israel

South Beirut building collapses after Israel strike: AFPTV

A building in Beirut's southern suburbs collapsed in a gigantic cloud of smoke and dust following a strike attributed to Israel, an AFP photographer reported.

A series of images from the strike captures a falling projectile slamming into the lower floors of the building, which erupt in a huge fireball, causing the structure to collapse.

Lebanon's state-run National News Agency reported a "heavy raid carried out by aircraft of the Israeli enemy" in the area of Ghobeiri, near Horsh Beirut, the capital's largest park.

A ball of fire erupts as an Israeli strike hits a building in the Beirut southern suburb of Ghobeiri.

Oil execs work COP29 as NGOs slam lobbyist presence

Oil executives and lobbyists descended on COP29 in Baku for "energy day" Friday, as environmental groups denounced the presence of the fossil fuel industry at the UN climate talks.

While negotiators haggled over the key goal of an increase in climate funding, a former UN chief said the talks were "no longer fit for purpose".

The head of France's TotalEnergies, Patrick Pouyanne, told AFP the sector is "part of the problem", but insisted it was making "continuous progress" on transition.

The presence of oil, gas and coal interests at the climate talks has long been a source of controversy

Heavy strikes hit south Beirut after Israel evacuation call

A building in Beirut's southern suburbs collapsed in a gigantic cloud of smoke and dust, an AFP photographer reported, as two strikes attributed to Israel hit the Hezbollah bastion on Friday.

A series of images from the strike captures a falling projectile slamming into the lower floors of the building, which erupt in a huge fireball, causing the structure to collapse.

Lebanon's state-run National News Agency (NNA) reported a "heavy raid carried out by aircraft of the Israeli enemy" in the Ghobeiri area, near Horsh Beirut, the capital's largest park.

A ball of fire erupts as an Israeli strike hits a building in the Beirut southern suburb of Ghobeiri.

Nature pays price for war in Israel's north

Across northern Israel's lush, green nature reserves, the ecological toll of the war between Israel and Hezbollah militants is laid bare: wild boar hit by shrapnel, trees reduced to ashes and swathes of charred vegetation.

In the Hula Valley, home to a unique migration sanctuary for birds, a flock of common cranes and their cacophony of calls fill the air -- but smoke billows in the distance and their sounds soon compete with the whir of Israeli military helicopters overhead.

A flock of pelicans flies over the Hula Valley in northern Israel during their winter migration from Europe to Africa

Musk met Iran UN ambassador on defusing tension under Trump: NYT

Elon Musk, the tech billionaire closely allied with US President-elect Donald Trump, met Iran's ambassador to the United Nations in a bid to defuse tensions between Tehran and Washington, The New York Times reported Thursday.

The newspaper quoted anonymous Iranian sources as describing the meeting between the world's richest person and Ambassador Amir Saeid Iravani as "positive."

The two met for more than an hour at a secret location on Monday, the newspaper said.

Elon Musk, a close ally of President-elect Donald Trump, reportedly met with Iran's ambassador to the United Nations, Amir Saeid Iravani

Stewards intervene to stop Israel, France football fans clash at Paris match

Stewards had to intervene at the Nations League match between France and Israel on Thursday to stop fans of both nations from clashing in the stands, an AFP reporter saw.

Videos taken by spectators and posted on the X social media network show fans, some with Israeli flags, running along the rows of seats at the Stade de France while other fans whistled and booed.

Stewards wearing orange bibs moved between the two groups to separate them.

Paris police told AFP it could not comment until it had received more information.

Stadium security staff intervene to stop Israel and France supporters from clashing at the Stade de France

Young Libyans gear up for their first ever election

Young Libyans have mobilised for Saturday's municipal elections, the first time many will vote in the fractured North African country where polls have been rare since Moamer Kadhafi's 2011 overthrow.

"Elections are a new concept here," said Radouane Erfida, 21, from Misrata, as he and other volunteers eagerly gave out leaflets and engaged with potential voters ahead of polling day.

"To help people accept and understand the process, we need awareness campaigns," he told AFP.

A campaigner hands an election leaflet to a driver ahead of the vote in Misrata

UN committee says Israel warfare in Gaza 'consistent with genocide'

Israel's warfare in Gaza is consistent with the characteristics of genocide, a special UN committee said Thursday, as a Human Rights Watch report said Israel's displacement of Gazans amounts to a "crime against humanity".

Israel said HRW's claims were "completely false", insisting its "efforts are directed solely at dismantling Hamas's terror capabilities and not at the people of Gaza", though it had not yet responded to the UN report.

Human Rights Watch said Israel's displacement of Gazans amounts to 'crimes against humanity'