The UN peacekeeping force UNIFIL, whose mandate ends Dec⁠ember 31, 2026, still has no successor. The newest development: Israel is opposing any UN or European force in the areas it occupies, and the replacement now taking shape would coordinate with the Lebanese and Israeli armies while sidestepping Resolution 1701, the 2006 resolution that underpins the border arrangement.

• Under that arrangement, a force would be limited to coordinating with both armies on implementing the framework agreement between Lebanon and Israel. MP Melhem Khalaf warned it is "dangerous" because it would effectively do away with 1701.
• Washington hasn't budged and sides with Israel in saying there's no point keeping UNIFIL. President Trump is also reluctant to spend US Treasury money on it.
• France is pushing for an international presence, but its position clashes with the White House and Netanyahu. Britain is lukewarm, while Russia and China told Lebanon they won't confront Washington, and won't use a veto.
• Beirut's line, per Khalaf: keep UNIFIL "until the very last minute" and finish negotiating before accepting its end.

Why it matters: Several Blue Line points remain disputed and under Israeli control, and Khalaf warned that a withdrawal would amount to "entrenching the Israeli occupation."

Beirut's Rafic Hariri International Airport has reportedly pledged to pay its overdue electricity bills ahead of Mon⁠day's deadline set by Électricité du Liban (EDL), the state utility. This follows a scare last⁠ week: the airport, Lebanon's only air gateway, lost grid power for hours from Oct⁠ober 28 and had to run entirely on its private generators. EDL had already warned that public institutions with unpaid bills would be cut off on Nov⁠ember 2.

• EDL announced Sun⁠day that the airport will pay its overdue bills immediately, agree on an instalment plan for the remainder, and pay monthly from now on. Public administrations were reminded the deadline to settle expires Mon⁠day.
• Airport director Mohammad Shatila had suspected the outage was linked to EDL's ultimatum, saying calls went unanswered, which he called unusual. EDL blamed a major technical fault instead.
• Shatila argues airport revenues go straight to the Treasury, so the Finance Ministry should pay the bill. L'Orient To⁠day couldn't reach him Sun⁠day to confirm the commitments.
• The Energy Ministry says cutting power was "neither an impulsive reaction nor a punitive or arbitrary measure, but a last resort," taken after weeks of appeals by Energy Minister Joe Saddi and EDL's board.
• Its position: the airport buys electricity like fuel or maintenance supplies, and paying taxes doesn't cancel what it owes.

What to watch: Mon⁠day's deadline covers every public administration, so the airport's instalment deal may become the template for others, or the exception.

Fast Track, a premium airport lane that lets travelers skip long queues and clear departure procedures faster, may finally open at Beirut's airport. The contract was awarded more than five years ago, then frozen by Lebanon's financial and economic collapse. Annahar reports construction of the passageway and its dedicated hall is now in its final stages, at a facility that welcomes over 7 million people a year.

• Annahar learned that Prime Minister Nawaf Salam wants the launch on Nov⁠ember 22, Independence Day's 83rd anniversary. Ministry of Public Works sources stayed tight-lipped, though they didn't deny work continues.
• Passageways would serve business-class passengers, with Platinum members under consideration. Platinum is an airline status earned by flying a set number of miles a year.
• Together those two groups make up about 15% of travelers, so the airport could handle at least about one million additional passengers a year.
• Fast Track is meant to ease peak-hour congestion, cut waiting times, and generate revenue for upkeep. Some airports abroad sell access for a fee regardless of ticket class.
• Earlier this⁠ year, 35 e-gates were installed, followed by maintenance work in the departure and arrival halls.

The bigger picture: Fast Track would be a visible sign of recovery, but the date remains unconfirmed and, as the airport's power drama shows, the plumbing behind the polish still matters.

Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi, in power since 2014, declared at a military academy graduation that 2030 will end his presidency, "if I live," calling the matter "completely settled." The bigger news, per Middle East Eye analysis, is what he proposed next: a military academy programme that would train the pool from which future presidents, ministers and governors are chosen. He ruled out amending the constitution, since ordinary legislation could set the conditions for candidates. The law must pass in 2027.

• The proposal is a 30-month, 7,500-hour programme for doctorate holders aged 40 to 50, paid for by the armed forces "whatever it costs."
• A committee including the parliament speaker and the justice and higher education ministers would draft the selection criteria into law.
• Sisi also read out Article 200, which charges the army with safeguarding "the civilian nature of the state." Per MEE, that wording came with the 2019 amendments that extended his own rule.
• An exemption for anyone with six or more years in government ministries makes technocrats the likeliest 2030 candidates. It says nothing about the security agencies.

What to watch: The pivotal moment is 2027, when the law must pass, and who sits on the selection committee will show how open the door really is.

Britain's government is ready to pay universities up to £450 million a year to charge EU students the same fees as British ones, but only if Brussels lets the UK into Made in Europe, the EU's planned industrial scheme that favours European-made goods and restricts trade with outsiders. The swap is one of the last obstacles before a Nov⁠ember 20 UK-EU summit, where Prime Minister Andy Burnham wants to show his push for closer ties is delivering.

• The £450m is the most expensive scenario, with fees matching domestic levels and very high demand. Another source said the true cost is likely lower, and an official called the figure "speculative."
• EU officials want their students to pay just over £9,000 a year rather than international fees, which can exceed £60,000.
• France, the main opponent of UK inclusion, now proposes admitting British manufacturers if the UK accepts "dynamic alignment" on EU tariffs. That is awkward because UK tariffs on Chinese electric vehicles are much lower than the EU's.
• A youth mobility scheme is largely agreed, with reports of up to 80,000 young Europeans. The EU had demanded between 100,000 and 150,000.

Zooming out: Neither side has blinked yet, and the EU has even discussed splitting fees from the joint statement and deferring any deal by six months.

Germany shut down its last nuclear power plant in 2023, but decades of radioactive waste are still sitting in interim storage near the reactors, because no permanent home exists. The federal waste company BGE, which has been searching for an underground site for almost ten years, announced this⁠ week that only 5% of the country's land area remains under consideration. Finland recently became the first country to approve such a repository, after about 40 years of work.

• The remaining 5% spans 11 of Germany's 16 states, per DW.
• Germany hopes to name a site by 2050. Environment Minister Carsten Schneider wants to examine whether the process can be sped up.
• The target is a site about 400 meters underground, wrapped in roughly 100 meters of clay, granite or rock salt that act as a natural barrier. Factors like proximity to big cities come into play only late in the process.
• Germany must show safety over one million years; Finland's standard is 100,000 years.
• The search and storage cost about €1.4 billion a year. The repository itself is estimated at €14 billion.

The bigger picture: Finland's repository took about 40 years, and BGE's spokesperson credits it to public trust in the state, the quality Germany will need to build as the map shrinks.