French court to rule on Lafarge funding of Syria jihadists

A Paris court will deliver its verdict on Monday in the case of cement conglomerate Lafarge, accused of paying the Islamic State group and other jihadists protection money to maintain its business in war-torn Syria.The ruling follows a 2022 case in the United States in which the French firm pleaded guilty to conspiring to provide material support to US-designated "terrorist" organisations and agreed to pay a $778-million fine, in what was the first time a corporation had faced the charge.