US Secretary of State Antony Blinken on Tuesday said that efforts to secure a ceasefire in Lebanon were "in the final stages", and that a deal could help end the Gaza conflict.

"We're not there yet, but I believe we are in the final stages," Blinken told reporters after a meeting near Rome with G7 counterparts, adding that "by de-escalating tensions in the region, it can also help us to end the conflict in Gaza".

Saudi Arabia on Tuesday approved a budget for 2025 that projected a smaller deficit than last year as officials recalibrate a reform drive meant to transition the economy away from oil.

The expected deficit of $26.8 billion, amounting to 2.3 percent of GDP, is down from a 2024 deficit of $30.6 billion, or 2.8 percent of GDP, according to the budget published by the finance ministry.

That reflects a drop in expenditures from 1.345 trillion Saudi riyals, or roughly $358 billion, to 1.285 trillion riyals, or roughly $342 billion, the budget said.

Israel's military said Tuesday at least 20 projectiles had been identified crossing from Lebanon into northern Israel, as the security cabinet met to discuss a potential ceasefire with Hezbollah.

"Following the sirens that sounded between 17:26 (1526 GMT) and 17:35 in the Western Galilee area, approximately 10 projectiles were identified crossing from Lebanon," the army said in a statement, adding that some were intercepted.

Baristas and servers linger outside a cafe in Tehran, smoking and chatting, as scheduled daytime power cuts due to energy shortages plunge businesses in Iran's capital into the dark.

"When the power is out, we are almost completely out of service," said Ali, a 30-year-old employee, of the nationwide rolling electricity outages imposed daily since November 11.

"We use mostly electrical equipment here in the cafe such as an electric oven and espresso machine," he told AFP, asking that only his first name be used.

Rescuers on Tuesday recovered five survivors and four bodies from a dive boat that capsized off Egypt's eastern coast a day earlier, Red Sea governor Amr Hanafi said.

A military-led team rescued two Belgians, one Swiss national, one Finnish tourist and one Egyptian, the governor said, bringing the total number of survivors from the accident to 33.

The "Sea Story" had been carrying 31 tourists of multiple nationalities and a 13-member crew when it was hit by a large wave near Marsa Alam in southeastern Egypt early on Monday, causing it to capsize.

At a crowded camp in Gaza for those displaced by the war between Israel and Hamas, Ayman Siam laid concrete blocks around his tent to keep his family dry as rain threatened more misery.

"I'm trying to protect my tent from the rainwater because we are expecting heavy rain. Three days ago when it rained, we were drenched," Siam said, seeking to shield his children and grandchildren from more wet weather.

Siam is among thousands sheltering at Gaza City's Yarmuk sports stadium in the north after being uprooted by the Israel-Hamas war.

Israel's security cabinet convened to discuss a proposed ceasefire in its war with Hezbollah in Lebanon on Tuesday, as a flurry of air strikes hit central Beirut.

The United States, European Union, United Nations and G7, among others, have pushed for a halt to the long-running hostilities between Israel and Hezbollah, which escalated into full-scale war in late September.

But as the pressure for a truce has intensified, so too have air strikes and ground battles between Israel and Iran-backed Hezbollah.

Nations gathered in Busan, South Korea have a week to agree the world's first treaty to curb plastic pollution, a gargantuan challenge given the major divisions that remain.

Here is a look at the key sticking points:

Consensus or majority

Divisions between nations are so deep that they have not yet agreed on how any decision will be adopted -- by consensus or majority vote.

Hundreds of ultra-Orthodox Jews gathered in Israel Monday for an emotionally charged funeral tribute to an Israeli rabbi killed in the United Arab Emirates.

Tzvi Kogan, 28, was found dead by security services last week, following what Israeli officials and an ultra-Orthodox Jewish group he was affiliated with called an anti-Semitic attack.

Neither Emirati nor Israeli officials have provided any details about the circumstances of Kogan's murder.

International humanitarian NGO Danish Refugee Council warned on Monday that Gazans are at long-term risk from unexploded and unused ordnance in the densely populated Palestinian territory.

"These remnants of war, which fail to detonate upon impact or may have been abandoned during warfare, pose a long-term threat to civilian populations, often causing injuries and deaths long after the fighting ceases," said DRC's Corinne Linnecar.