A Reuters journalist of the Lebanese nationality was killed when an Israeli shell landed in a gathering of international journalists covering clashes on the border in south Lebanon on Friday. Six other journalists were wounded.

"We are deeply saddened to learn that our videographer, Issam Abdallah, has been killed," Reuters said, adding that, he "was part of a Reuters crew in southern Lebanon."

Changes in the climate and land use are combining to dramatically shrink the numbers of insects pollinating key tropical crops. As those problems intertwine and intensify, it likely will hit coffee lovers right in the mug, according to a new study.

And that one-two punch will melt some chocolate fans' dreams too, scientists said.

Middle East economies are gradually recovering as external shocks from the war in Ukraine and global inflation fade, the International Monetary Fund said Thursday, but the escalating war between Israel and the Hamas militant group could dampen the outlook.

IMF Managing Director Kristalina Georgieva said the organization was closely monitoring the economic impact of the war, especially on oil markets, where prices have fluctuated.

A man armed with a knife killed a teacher at the high school in northern France he once attended and critically wounded another teacher and a security guard Friday, authorities said, an attack being investigated as potential terrorism amid soaring global tensions over the war between Israel and Hamas.

French anti-terror prosecutors said they were leading the investigation into the attack at the Gambetta high school in the city of Arras, some 115 miles (185 kilometers) north of Paris. They said they were investigating charges including terror-related murder and attempted murder against the suspect, who was arrested.

Israel's call Friday for half of the Gaza Strip's population to evacuate south is hiking Egypt's fears of a massive influx of refugees across the heavily fortified border into its territory.

Since Hamas' bloody attack on Israel sparked a massive retaliation in Gaza, Egypt's leadership has frantically tried to negotiate the entry of humanitarian aid through its crossing into the Palestinian territory — partially in hopes of averting an exodus into Egypt's Sinai Peninsula. Officials say its efforts have received no response from Israel.

A 50-year-old Israeli man who works at the Israeli Embassy in Beijing was stabbed on Friday in front of a supermarket, Chinese police and the Israeli government said.

Beijing police said they had arrested a suspect, a 53-year-old foreign man. They said the victim is a family member of an Israeli diplomat. No motive was given for the attack.

Protests were staged after Friday prayers in Muslim communities around the world — including Lebanon, Tehran, Baghdad, and Jordan — condemning Israel’s attacks on Gaza and showing support for Palestinians in the wake of the deadly surprise attack launched in southern Israel by the militant group Hamas on Oct. 7.

Lebanese and Palestinians protested across Lebanon, in Beirut's downtown and in its southern suburb, in Tyre, Sidon, Tripoli and Bekaa, following afternoon prayers Friday, in support of Palestine.

Hezbollah legislator Hassan Fadlallah said Friday that the deterrence between his group and Israel has been maintained since a monthlong war in 2006, despite clashes over the past week.

Fadlallah’s comments came minutes after Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian held separate meetings with Lebanese caretaker Prime Minister Najib Mikati and key ally Hezbollah leader Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah.

Tens of thousands of Muslims demonstrated Friday across the Middle East in support of the Palestinians and to protest against the Israeli airstrikes pounding the Gaza Strip, underscoring the risk of a wider regional conflict erupting as Israel prepares for a possible ground invasion there.

From Amman, Jordan, to Yemen's capital, Muslims poured out onto the streets after weekly Friday prayers. At Al-Aqsa Mosque in Jerusalem, Israeli police had been permitting only older men, women and children to the sprawling hilltop compound for prayers, trying to prevent the potential for demonstration as tens of thousands attend on a typical Friday.

Will Lebanon's heavily armed Hezbollah join the Israel-Hamas war? The answer could well determine the direction of a battle that is bound to reshape the Middle East.

Hezbollah, which like Hamas is supported by Iran, has so far been on the fence about joining the fighting between Israel and the Gaza Strip's Islamic militant rulers. For the past six days, Israel has besieged Gaza and hammered the enclave of 2.3 million Palestinians with hundreds of airstrikes in response to a deadly Hamas attack on southern Israel.