Efforts by the UN Libya mission to resolve the central bank crisis have stalled, with inconclusive recent talks highlighting major challenges; this comes as Libyan oil exports drop by 81%, affecting the country's economy.

Meanwhile, UN envoy Hans Grundberg is urging the international community to focus on resolving the conflict in Yemen, especially amid the Gaza war's destabilizing impact, and has condemned recent Houthi attacks on vessels in the Red Sea, which pose significant environmental threats.

Turning to Israel, a deadly vehicle explosion in Ramla has left four dead and eight injured, believed to be linked to gangland violence, prompting criticism of National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir and an ongoing police investigation.

Back in Yemen, Grundberg continues to press the Houthi militia to release abducted UN workers and stop attacks on ships, following another recent assault on the oil tanker Sounion; the UN has also denied Houthi accusations of destroying education in Yemen.

In literary news, Salman Rushdie's memoir "Knife: Meditations After an Attempted Murder," which chronicles his 2022 stabbing, has been nominated for the National Book Awards alongside notable works like Anne Carson's "Wrong Norma"; the winners are set to be announced on November 20.

Finally, in Iran, a tragic attack by the Sunni jihadist group Jaish Al-Adl in Sistan and Baluchestan province has resulted in the deaths of three police officers; this attack at a petrol station adds to the series of violent incidents in one of Iran's poorest, predominantly Sunni regions.