In this file photo taken on February 16, 2005, mourners gather on the grave of slain former prime minister Rafiq Hariri in downtown Beirut. (RAMZI HAIDAR / AFP)
Judges at the UN-backed Special Tribunal for Lebanon are set to rule in the case of four men charged
with the killing of former Prime Minister Rafik al-Hariri and 21 others in a 2005 bombing.
Hariri's assassination plunged Lebanon into what was then its worst crisis since the 1975-90 civil war, leading to the withdrawal of Syrian forces and setting the stage for years of confrontation between rival political forces.
The Hezbollah terror group has denied any involvement in the 2005 bombing.
The case has been overshadowed by the even bigger Beirut blast this month - the largest in Lebanon's history - that killed 178 people and drew outraged demands for accountability.
The judgment had initially been expected earlier this month, but was delayed after the port explosion.
The investigation and trial in absentia of the four Hezbollah members has taken 15 years and cost roughly $1 billion. It could result in a guilty verdict and later sentencing of up to life imprisonment, or acquittal.
The hybrid court, with Lebanese criminal law and a mix of international and Lebanese judges, could serve as a model if Beirut decides to prosecute this month's explosion.
Russia and Ukraine each exchanged 307 of their service personnel on Saturday on the second day of a prisoner exchange that, when completed, is set to be the largest such swap in the three-year war between the two countries.
U.S. President Donald Trump has suggested the prisoner swap - which should see 1,000 prisoners released on each side over three days - could herald a new phase in stop-start efforts to negotiate a peace deal between Moscow and Kyiv.
Saturday's swap was announced by Russia's defence ministry, and separately by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy in a post on social
French police were investigating a possible arson attack as being the main cause for a power outage which hit the Alpes-Maritimes region in southern France on Saturday, including Cannes which is hosting its world-famous annual film festival.
Russia launched dozens of attack drones and ballistic missiles at Kyiv overnight in one of the biggest combined aerial attacks on the Ukrainian capital of the three-year war, damaging several apartment buildings and injuring at least 15 people.
Rescuers on Friday pulled out all 260 mine workers who had been stuck for more than 24 hours in an underground shaft in South Africa, the mine's operator said.
The Trump administration issued orders on Friday that it said would effectively lift sanctions on Syria, after President Donald Trump this month pledged to unwind the measures to help the country rebuild after a devastating civil war.
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Russia, Ukraine swap 307 soldiers on second day of POW exchange
Police probe arson attack in France power outage
Ukraine says 15 people hurt in 'massive' Russian attack on capital
South Africa rescues all 260 miners stuck underground alive
US issues orders easing Syria sanctions after Trump pledge
