Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro has met with Qatar's ruling emir as part of a Mideast tour.

Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani posted a photo on social media of the two meeting, saying they "discussed prospects for enhancing cooperation between our two countries in various fields for the good and interest of our two friendly peoples."

The leaders of major EU powers France, Germany and Italy vowed Thursday to help Ukraine defeat Russia and to rebuild its shattered cities, in a visit to a war-torn Kyiv suburb.

French President Emmanuel Macron, Germany's Chancellor Olaf Scholz and Italian premier Mario Draghi arrived in Ukraine by train and headed to Irpin, scene of fierce battles early in Russia's invasion.

Lebanon's caretaker energy minister has extended the licensing deadline for oil and gas companies to explore in the country's territorial waters until mid-December, to give more firms the chance to bid, state-run news agency reported.

The decision by the minister, Walid Fayyad, to extended the deadline of the second round of licensing until Dec. 15 followed a request by the Lebanese Petroleum Administration, the National News Agency said.

The London-based tribute concert for Foo Fighters' late drummer Taylor Hawkins will include Queen's Brian May and Roger Taylor, Rush's Geddy Lee and Alex Lifeson, Pretenders frontwoman Chrissie Hynde, Oasis' Liam Gallagher and comedian Dave Chappelle.

Others announced are Jane's Addiction's Chris Chaney, the Police's Stewart Copeland, Omar Hakim, Rufus Taylor, Wolfgang Van Halen, and Hawkins' cover band Chevy Metal.

French President Emmanuel Macron suggested Wednesday that he would soon go to Kyiv to meet with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky but said he would not publicly discuss details about such a trip.

Answering a journalist's question during an official visit to Romania, Macron said the timing was right for a visit to Ukraine's capital but that he would not "enter into logistics." Ukraine has been at war since Russia invaded the neighboring country more than 3 1/2 months ago.

Iran acknowledged Wednesday it plans two tests for its new solid-fueled rocket after satellite photos showed preparations at a desert launch pad previously used in the program, even as tensions remain high over Tehran's rapidly advancing nuclear program.

The Islamic Republic will launch its satellite-carrying Zuljanah rocket twice more after conducting a previous launch, the state-run IRNA news agency quoted Defense Ministry spokesman Ahmad Hosseini as saying. He did not elaborate on a timeframe for the tests, nor said when the previous launch occurred.

Israel is looking to U.S. President Joe Biden's Mideast trip next month to bolster its efforts to normalize relations with Saudi Arabia, a country with which it does not have official ties, according to Israel's foreign minister.

Yair Lapid spoke a day after the White House announced the whirlwind trip to Israel and the West Bank followed by a flight to Saudi Arabia. At a news conference in Jerusalem, Lapid was asked about his expectations from Biden's expected stop in the kingdom and first said he didn't want to "steal the show from the president's visit." But he said Saudi Arabia and Israel, as well as the wider Middle East, are under threat from Iran's nuclear capabilities.

Egypt, Israel, and the European Union on Wednesday signed a deal to increase liquefied natural gas sales to EU countries, who aim to reduce dependence on supply from Russia as the war in Ukraine drags on.

The deal, stamped in a five-star Cairo hotel, will see Israel sending more gas via Egypt, which has facilities to liquefy it for export via sea, European Commission chief Ursula von der Leyen said.

Israel marked a major escalation in its years-long campaign of airstrikes in Syria, carrying out an attack last week that shut down the country's main civilian airport in Damascus as Israel steps up efforts to stop Iranian weapons shipments to Hezbollah.

Commercial flights were still halted at Damascus International Airport five days after Friday's pre-dawn airstrikes smashed into its runways, leaving multiple craters, and damaged the air control tower and other buildings.

A man once briefly married to Britney Spears who showed up uninvited at the pop star's wedding to longtime boyfriend Sam Asghari was charged Monday with felony stalking.

Jason Alexander, 40, pleaded not guilty in Ventura County court to the charge, along with misdemeanor counts of trespassing, vandalism and battery.