Feb 27 (Reuters) - U.S. envoy Tom Barrack met former Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki, the Shi'ite alliance's candidate for premier, on Friday, two sources familiar with the matter told Reuters.

Maliki has been nominated by a powerful Shi'ite bloc to return to the post, but the United States has warned it would reconsider support for Iraq if he is chosen again.

(Reporting by Muayed Hameed, Writing by Ahmed ElimamEditing by Gareth Jones)

A 38-year-old man has been arrested on suspicion of racially aggravated criminal damage, UK police said Friday, after pro-Palestinian graffiti was sprayed on a Winston Churchill statue in central London.

The iconic monument to Britain's World War II prime minister in Parliament Square "was graffitied with red paint" overnight, the Metropolitan Police said on X.

"Officers were on scene within two minutes of being alerted shortly after 4am (0400 GMT)," the force said.

French far-left firebrand Jean-Luc Melenchon has sparked new accusations of antisemitism after mocking the pronunciation of the name "Epstein" during a political rally in southeastern France.

Speaking at a gathering in Lyon on Thursday evening, Melenchon invoked the name of Jeffrey Epstein, after recent disclosures detailed the convicted sex offender's extensive ties to the world's rich, famous and powerful.

"I wanted to say 'Epstein', sorry, it sounds more Russian, 'Epsteen'," said the France Unbowed (LFI) leader.

By Mohammad Yunus Yawar

KABUL, Feb 27 (Reuters) - Pakistani air strikes hit a weapons depot on the western outskirts of Kabul overnight, triggering hours of secondary explosions that rattled homes across the Afghan capital and left residents fearing further violence.

The strikes were part of a sharp escalation between Pakistan and Afghanistan's Taliban authorities, with the once-close allies also trading cross-border attacks and Pakistan describing the situation as open conflict.

MOSCOW, Feb 27 (Reuters) - Russia urged Afghanistan and Pakistan on Friday to halt cross-border attacks immediately and resolve their differences by diplomatic means.

Russia is the only country to officially recognise the Taliban government of Afghanistan, and also has good relations with Pakistan.

"Of course, the direct military clashes that have taken place do not bode well. Therefore we hope that they will cease as soon as possible... Like everyone else, we are closely monitoring this situation," Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters.

KABUL/ISLAMABAD, Feb 27 (Reuters) - The Afghan Taliban "successfully conducted" air strikes using drones to hit military targets in Pakistan, its defence ministry and a government spokesperson said on Friday, as fighting between the neighbours continued.

Pakistani Information Minister Attaullah Tarar said Pakistani Taliban militants had tried to use drones against targets in Pakistan but they were brought down by anti-drone systems and there was "no damage to life".

TUNIS, Feb 27 (Reuters) - Former Tunisian prime minister Ali Larayedh was sentenced on Friday to 24 years in prison on charges of facilitating Tunisian jihadists’ travel to Syria over the past decade, state media said.

His party, the Islamist opposition Ennahda, says the case is politically motivated and part of a crackdown on dissent following President Kais Saied's seizure of broad powers in 2021, when he dissolved parliament and began ruling by decree.

Larayedh served as prime minister from 2013 to 2014 during a turbulent period following Tunisia’s 2011 revolution.

JERUSALEM, February 27 (Reuters) - Israel has multi-layered air defences against attacks by Iranian ballistic missiles, an umbrella it may need to lean on as the United States and Iran teeter toward potential military conflict that could draw Iranian attacks on Israeli territory.

Here are details of Israel's defences against drones and missiles:

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By Emma Farge

GENEVA, Feb 27 (Reuters) - The U.N. human rights chief Volker Turk on Friday called for an immediate moratorium on the use of the death penalty in Iran, warning that dozens more people risk execution after the first death sentence linked to January mass protests was issued this week.

"I am horrified by reports that at least eight people, including two children, have been sentenced to death in connection with the protests," Turk said in a speech to the U.N. Human Rights Council in Geneva, adding that another 30 people appeared to be at risk of the same sentence.

President Donald Trump on Friday voiced frustration with Iran's stance in nuclear negotiations as US staff left Israel due to safety concerns -- but mediator Oman promoted what it said was a "breakthrough" to avert war.

Trump has ordered the biggest military build-up in decades in the Middle East, with the world's largest aircraft carrier, the USS Gerald R. Ford, approaching the coast of Israel, as he demands Iran agree to sweeping concessions on concerns starting with its nuclear program.