Iran has accused foreign foes of trying to spark "civil war" by stoking the protests over Mahsa Amini's death -- harsh language that, analysts warn, could presage an even bloodier crackdown.

Fears that Iran is sliding into deeper violence have grown since Wednesday, when assailants on motorcycles gunned down nine people -- including a woman and two boys aged nine and 13 -- in two mysterious attacks.

Lewis Hamilton topped the times ahead of his Mercedes team-mate George Russell in Friday’s opening practice at this weekend’s season-ending Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, the ‘silver arrows’ continuing where they left off after a one-two triumph in Sao Paulo last Sunday.

Returning to the scene of his acrimonious and controversial defeat by Max Verstappen of Red Bull in last year’s title-deciding race, Hamilton produced a best lap in one minute and 26.633 seconds to outpace Russell by 0.220 seconds.

FIFA and Qatar on Friday banned beer sales around the eight World Cup stadiums in a stunning policy u-turn just two days before the start of the tournament.

Football's world body said the decision was taken following "discussions" with World Cup hosts Qatar, an Islamic state which severely restricts alcohol consumption.

It gave no reason for the surprise decision, however.

A FIFA statement said alcohol would be focused on fan zones, "removing sales points of beer from Qatar's FIFA World Cup 2022 stadium perimeters."

Protesters in Iran have set on fire the ancestral home of the Islamic republic's founder Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini as two months of anti-regime demonstrations show no letup, images showed on Friday.

The house in the city of Khomein in the western Markazi province was shown ablaze late Thursday with crowds of jubilant protesters marching past, according to images posted on social media, verified by AFP.

Khomeini is said to have been born at the house in the town of Khomein -- from where his surname derives -- at the turn of the century.

The US government recommended on Thursday that Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman was immune from legal action over the 2018 murder of a dissident journalist, according to court documents.

Prince Mohammed was named prime minister by royal decree in late September, sparking suggestions he was looking to skirt exposure in cases filed in foreign courts -- including a civil action brought in the United States by Hatice Cengiz, fiancee of slain columnist Jamal Khashoggi.

Fifteen people died and around a dozen were injured in northern Iraq when a fuel tank exploded, causing a building to collapse, authorities said Friday as search operations ended.

Provincial governor Haval Abu Bakr provided the final toll for Thursday evening's blast in Sulaimaniyah, the second-largest city of Iraq's autonomous Kurdistan region, and declared a day of mourning in the province.

"Most of the victims are women and children," Abu Bakr said, adding that "there are no more bodies under the rubble of the house".

UN climate talks were extended by a day Friday in an effort to break a deadlock as nations tussle over funding for developing countries battered by weather disasters and ambition on curbing global warming.

Representatives from nearly 200 countries have gathered at the COP27 in Egypt for two weeks with the aim of driving forward action on climate change as the world faces a worsening onslaught of weather extremes.

Half a century after jazz great Thelonious Monk appeared on a French television program, a new documentary revisits outtakes from the 1969 interview to cast light on the racism and exploitation of black musicians.

When Monk met fellow musician and French TV producer Henri Renaud at a studio in Paris, it was a chance for the renowned pianist and composer to promote his music in Europe.

A large fire that ripped through a home north of Gaza City where fuel was being stored killed at least 21 people including seven children on Thursday, official and medical sources said.

Hamas Islamists, who control the Israeli-blockaded Palestinian enclave, said firefighters had managed to contain the blaze in Jabalia that left charred walls and mounds of black soot before being put out.

Gaza's civil defence unit confirmed in a statement that 21 people had been killed.

Government action to curb global warming should be a top concern despite inflation, an energy crisis and nuclear sabre-rattling by Russia, according to a YouGov survey in wealthy nations published exclusively by AFP.

Carried out before the COP27 climate summit in Sharm el-Sheikh, Egypt, the survey found that more than half of respondents in France, Britain, Italy, Spain, Germany and the United States said halting global warming should be a "key priority" regardless of the state of the economy.

Thirty percent said it should be "paused" so other problems can be addressed.