The failure of U.N.-led talks on Libya to reach a compromise over December elections could endanger a roadmap that had raised hopes of ending a decade of chaos, analysts have warned.

After failing last week to agree on crude oil output levels, the 23 members of the OPEC+ group of producers called off a meeting planned on Monday to overcome the impasse, a source close to the alliance told AFP. 

By Martin Longden, Head of Mission of the British Embassy Beirut

There have been better times to be head of the British Embassy in Lebanon. The crises buffeting this wonderful and troubled country – from the port explosion, to the Covid pandemic, to the economic collapse – have dulled Lebanon’s shine, impoverishing the people and putting both state institutions and the private sector under intolerable pressure. With no prospect in sight of a government capable of gripping the situation, Lebanon’s situation looks increasingly precarious.

From his shock detention to an audacious escape from Japan, the rollercoaster saga of former Nissan boss Carlos Ghosn made headlines around the world.

Ibrahim Arab waits in line several hours a day in the hot summer sun to buy gas for his taxi.

When he's not working, the 37-year-old father of two drives from one Beirut pharmacy to another, looking for baby formula for his 7-month-old son -- any he can find -- even though the infant got severe diarrhea and vomiting from an unfamiliar brand.

Germany's top diplomat could barely stop smiling as he had a beer with U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken in Berlin. Not so long ago, he acknowledged bluntly, he had less fun talking to American leaders.

The election of a loyal acolyte of supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei as Iranian president could ease the West's dealings with the Islamic Republic due to a streamlined power structure in Tehran but Ebrahim Raisi's hardline stance could also spell trouble, analysts say.

Five years on from Britain's shock decision to quit the European Union, the wounds opened by Brexit have yet to heal, and analysts say its far-reaching changes are only just beginning.

With the second-biggest bloc in Iraq's parliament, powerful friends in Iran and vast financial assets, the Hashed al-Shaabi paramilitary alliance has become the predominant force in Iraqi politics, experts say.

Biden administration officials are insisting that the election of a hard-liner as Iran's president won't affect prospects for reviving the faltering 2015 nuclear deal with Tehran. But there are already signs that their goal of locking in a deal just got tougher.

Optimism that a deal was imminent faded as the latest talks ended Sunday without tangible indications of significant progress. And on Monday, in his first public comments since the vote, incoming Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi rejected a key Biden goal of expanding on the nuclear deal if negotiators are able to salvage the old one.