Ostrich eggs estimated to be at least 4,000 years old have been found in Israel, archaeologists announced on Thursday, providing insight into the life of ancient peoples in the region.

The eight crushed eggs were discovered in fragments in the Negev desert's Nitzana sand dunes near the Egyptian border.

They were located close to a fire pit that was part of a camp site used by nomads "since prehistoric times," said Lauren Davis, the Israel Antiquities Authority excavation director.

A Saudi film fund announced Thursday that it is investing in Johnny Depp's new movie, a French period drama in which he plays King Louis XV.

The Red Sea Film Foundation said in a statement that it was backing the new film, "Jeanne du Barry", directed by France's Maiwenn, who also stars in the title role as the famous 18th century courtesan.

An Iranian-British dual national sentenced to be hanged for spying for UK intelligence once held roles at the top of Tehran's defence and security establishment, Iran's state media said Thursday.

Alireza Akbari held posts including "deputy minister of defence for foreign affairs" and was in the "secretariat of the Supreme National Security Council", state news agency IRNA reported.

Akbari had also been an "advisor to the commander of the navy" as well as "heading a division at the defence ministry's research centre", it added.

Hundreds of Israeli lawyers rallied Thursday outside a Tel Aviv court to protest against the government's controversial plans to overhaul the judicial system.

The rare demonstration by attorneys follows the justice minister outlining proposals such as allowing politicians to override Supreme Court decisions.

Wearing her black robe, lawyer Orna Sher said the "dangerous" proposals by Justice Minister Yariv Levin were a threat to democracy.

The United Arab Emirates has picked the head of its national oil company as president of this year's COP28 climate talks, prompting criticism from environmental activists.

Here we examine the UAE's reasons for choosing Sultan Al Jaber and what message it is sending ahead of the UN climate talks later this year.

- Who is Sultan Al Jaber? -

Al Jaber is the chief executive of the UAE's Abu Dhabi National Oil Company (ADNOC), which is one of the world's biggest oil firms.

The United Arab Emirates has agreed to roll over $2 billion owed by Pakistan and provide the country with an extra loan of $1 billion, Islamabad said Thursday.

The agreement comes as Pakistan grapples with a major foreign exchange crisis, holding enough reserves to pay for just three weeks of imports.

Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif arrived in the UAE earlier Thursday for talks with top Gulf officials to seek help for the battered economy.

President Emmanuel Macron has said he will not "ask forgiveness" from Algeria for French colonisation but hopes to continue working towards reconciliation with his counterpart Abdelmajid Tebboune.

"It's not up to me to ask forgiveness, that's not what this is about, that word would break all of our ties," he said in an interview for Le Point magazine published late Wednesday.

"The worst thing would be to decide: 'we apologise and each go our own way'," Macron said.

"Work on memory and history isn't a settling of all accounts," he added.

The head of the United Arab Emirates' national oil company was named Thursday as president of this year's COP28 climate talks, prompting fierce criticism from environmental activists.

Sultan Al Jaber, chief executive of the UAE's Abu Dhabi National Oil Company (ADNOC), will be the first CEO to take the role at the UN summit, the official WAM news agency reported.

"I sincerely believe that climate action today is an immense economic opportunity for investment in sustainable growth," he was quoted as saying, promising a "pragmatic" approach.

Israeli forces killed a Palestinian man Thursday in the occupied West Bank, the Palestinian health ministry said, as the army claimed rocks were thrown at Israeli forces during a raid.

The 41-year-old killed was named as Samir Aouni Harbi Aslan by the ministry, which said he was hit in the chest "by a bullet of the Israeli occupation army" in Qalandia refugee camp, near Ramallah.

The Israeli military said troops had fired on people who "hurled rocks and blocks from the rooftops aiming at soldiers operating beneath".

A Madrid court ordered two Spanish women who married Islamic State (IS) fighters remanded in custody Wednesday on terror-related charges after they were flown back from Syrian detention camps with 13 children, legal documents showed.

They arrived at Torrejon de Ardoz military airbase near Madrid late Monday nearly two months after the Spanish government agreed to fly them home from the notorious Roj detention camp in Kurdish-controlled north-eastern Syria.