Mena Today

The 35-year-old UN peacekeeping mission in the Western Sahara region will come to an end after the Security Council failed to renew its mandate, the UN chief said on Sunday. 

Iranian negotiators were in Doha on Sunday for a third consecutive day of talks with Qatari mediators aimed at pushing for a deal to end the US-Israeli war on Iran, an official briefed on the discussions told Reuters.

Lebanese customs, working with General Security, foiled a major smuggling attempt on Saturday at Beirut’s Rafic Hariri International Airport, seizing 46.7 kilos of cocaine, the largest drug bust in the airport’s history, French-language daily L’Orient-Le Jour reported.

President Isaac Herzog urged Israel’s political leaders on Sunday to accept the outcome of last week’s election and show flexibility in coalition talks, warning that political entrenchment could drag the country into yet another vote.

The Tel Aviv Stock Exchange suffered one of its worst sessions in months after the election produced no clear winner, wiping out all its October gains. The shekel tumbled, long-term government bonds fell and the local volatility index jumped 30%.

Exit polls showed Bulgaria's acting President Iliana Iotova led a low-turnout runoff vote for the largely ceremonial role on Sunday, putting her on course to become the country's first elected female head of state.

US President Donald Trump said on Saturday that the United States had destroyed much of Iran’s nuclear capability but still had “one or two” sites left to deal with, as Tehran threatened to retaliate against any new strikes.

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said on Saturday that President Donald Trump has not decided whether to launch a new military operation against Iran, insisting the administration still favours diplomacy.

Lebanon will no longer serve as a launchpad for threats against its Arab neighbours or as a forward defence line for other countries’ interests, Foreign Minister Joe Raggi declared on Saturday. 

France deployed a 70,000-strong police presence to contain a widely expected bout of fresh unrest on Saturday in the latest nationwide protests driven by anger over living costs, public services and President Emmanuel Macron's government.

Iranian negotiators held talks in Doha with Qatari mediators on Saturday to discuss paths out of war in the Gulf, a source told Reuters, as diplomats try to avert a new outbreak of fighting after the US midterm elections this week.

Egypt's Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty said on Saturday he was "extremely worried" that a new escalation in the war between the United States and Iran would be more destructive and have a major impact.