Israel's parliament began rushing through a bill on Wednesday to call a third general election within a year, as talks between embattled premier Benjamin Netanyahu and his centrist rival broke down ahead of a midnight deadline.

They hail from Basra's poorest slums and Baghdad's best universities and count among their ranks artists, tribal dignitaries and desperate young men. Iraq's "October Revolution" reflects a diverse society.

The UN has been unable to confirm Iranian involvement in a dramatic attack on oil facilities in Saudi Arabia earlier this year, secretary-general Antonio Guterres said Tuesday.  

Drones and cruise missiles were used in the September bombardment, which knocked out half of the kingdom's crude production and fueled a record surge in prices.

In Algeria's disaffected Kabylie region, the brick has become the symbol of the anti-vote campaign ahead of unpopular presidential elections set for Thursday.

"Last seen: Friday, 9:18pm." About an hour after gunmen began attacking a protest encampment in Iraq's capital at the weekend, Mustafa -- who had slept there for weeks -- went offline.

An Algerian court sentenced two former prime ministers to long jail terms Tuesday in the first of a series of high-profile corruption trials launched after longtime president Abdelaziz Bouteflika resigned in the face of mass protests in April.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said Tuesday he was ready to send troops to Libya if requested by the internationally recognized government in Tripoli. 

Iraqi protesters have clashed with police and torched government offices, a premier has resigned and precious blood spilt. As modern institutions collapse, a centuries-old force is making a comeback: Iraq's tribes.

With their own hierarchies, moral and justice codes, not to mention huge arms caches, tribes have once again become among the most powerful actors in Iraq's rural and oil-rich south.

The North African country of Algeria, where a contentious presidential election is set for Thursday, has been the scene since February of massive demonstrations against a regime seen as corrupt.

Qatar's emir skipped a Gulf summit in Riyadh on Tuesday that had been pilled as a potential  "reconciliation conference" amid signs of a thaw between Doha and a Saudi-led bloc.